“I always said no to the current president on that topic and he tweeted about me multiple times,” McConnell joked.
The warning comes as Democrats are increasingly certain to win back the Senate and White House, amid Trump’s poll numbers. Senator Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) Said that a Democratic takeover in the Senate is “a long way off,” but said removing the legislative filibuster “would change the character of the Senate and Congress forever.”
Some Senate Democrats have signaled that they are open to getting rid of the Senate’s 60-vote threshold in the event the Senate and White House return, particularly if the Senate faces a partisan stalemate. Democrats removed the 60-vote threshold for most nominees in 2013, while Republicans removed the 60-vote threshold for Supreme Court appointments in 2017. But removing the legislative filibuster would be a drastic change.
“Regarding the changes that have occurred in the executive calendar, it really is a very recent phenomenon,” McConnell said. “What would be a revolution would be to change the legislative filibuster.”
Andrew Desiderio contributed to this report.
