Jeff Flake

But when John Thune said the other day, when the president said, get rid of the filibuster—

John Thune's response was, we don't have votes, which is true.

I would have liked him to say, that's a terrible idea, Mr. President.

We're not going to do it.

So, yeah, from the outside, I certainly am frustrated sometimes when they won't just say, you know, what they're going to do.

Or on tariffs, actually pull your power back there and certainly get ahead of the Supreme Court.

You don't want to see –

You know, you're weak enough for the president.

You don't want to be weak and follow what the Supreme Court does or have them fight your battles for you.

So, yeah, I'm frustrated sometimes.

But I do think that he certainly is a senator that is in some ways and often doing the best he can given the political situation to get the Senate back.

Yeah, and you get angry tweets every day if you do.

From the president, you mean?

Yes.

Oh, definitely.

And so that's difficult.

And up to now, the president has been able to, in any Republican seat in the country, say, I can get a primary opponent for you if you don't do what I say.

That's a—

Powerful political incentive.

We may like it to be different, but that's the incentive structure that most of my former colleagues are working under.