GOP Lawmakers Divided After Trump Lobbies Against Bipartisan Border Deal

A bipartisan deal on border security and aid for Ukraine is at risk following opposition from former President Donald Trump and hesitance from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). 

The Details: Trump’s allies have reportedly privately lobbied to block the deal, which would try to limit the number of migrants crossing the border while also providing tens of billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine. As the frontrunner for the GOP’s 2024 presidential nomination, Trump’s opposition weighs “heavily” on whether Republicans support the deal, Rep. Mike Braun (R-IN) said.

Key Quotes: Speaking with CNN’s (Lean Left bias) Manu Raju, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) said the fact that Trump “would communicate to Republican senators and congresspeople that he doesn’t want us to solve the border problem because he wants to blame Biden for it is really appalling.” Also reported by CNN, McConnell privately told fellow Republicans they were in a “quandary”; Punchbowl News (Not Rated) reported that McConnell said Republicans did not “want to do anything to undermine” Trump.

How the Media Covered It: Right-rated outlets appeared less likely than left-rated outlets to cover this story. Some headlines in left-rated outlets displayed sensationalism, such as HuffPost’s (Left bias) “Republicans Flail” and Mediaite’s (Lean Left bias) “Mitt Romney Furious.” Several articles focused specifically on Romney's remarks.