Scoop: Trump readying "living hell" for GOP senators over nuking filibuster

President Trump's Truth Social demands to end the filibuster are just a hint of his coming rampage if Senate Republicans hold out against him, advisers tell Axios. Why it matters: Most Senate Republicans have no interest in nuking the filibuster. But Trump's frustration is the first clear sign that the shutdown, which becomes a record on Wednesday, is getting to him."He will make their lives a living hell," one Trump adviser told Axios. "He will call them at three o'clock in the morning. He will blow them up in their districts. He will call them un-American. He will call them old creatures of a dying institution. Believe you me, he's going to make their lives just hell," the source continued.Another adviser emphasized: "He's really mad about this."Zoom in: For weeks, Trump wasn't paying close attention to the shutdown out of a belief that Democrats would eventually drop their demands.Now, he is starting to put Republican senators on blast for not changing the filibuster, which requires 60 votes for most legislation, arguing it gave Democrats leverage to shut down the government for a record amount of time."The more he thinks about it, the more he thinks the filibuster outrageous and anti-democratic," one of the advisers said. Trump was already steamed about the Senate's "blue slip" tradition, which has allowed Democratic senators to block certain judicial nominees.What to watch: Some of the newer, populist Senate Republican voices are warming to the idea.Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) raised the idea of changing the filibuster to end the shutdown last month on Fox News, saying, "Let's make this a Republican-only vote."Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) expressed willingness to do away with the filibuster if needed. Hawley said if he's "got to choose between feeding 42 million Americans who are needy and have to have federal food assistance to eat, or defending the arcane rules of the Senate — I'm going to choose those people."Sen. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) also told Axios he would be willing to change the filibuster rules "under certain circumstances."Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) said he understood Trump's frustration, "but I think that Democrats are about to cave" by the end of the week. When pressed to clarify whether he opposed ending the filibuster, he responded, "I said what I just said."The other side: Senate Democrats are not taking Trump's threats too seriously, telling Axios they remain confident that Republicans will not concede to his demands.It could be a good sign for the hopeful, tentative dealmaking being done this week to reopen the government."Republicans are rubber stamps for Donald Trump on everything else. This may be the one area where they've decided not to play ball," Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) told Axios."The president is not in charge of the United States Congress and we need to stand up and tell the president he is not a king," Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), a key moderate vote, told Axios.The big picture: Trump has always believed a president gets blamed for a shutdown. Polls show a plurality of voters blame Republicans, and many on both sides of the aisle expected him to buckle sooner to Democratic demands to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies that are set to expire for 22 million recipients.Trump also pressured then-Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to get rid of the filibuster during his first term.The bottom line: Trump "feels really strongly about this. Republicans need to play tough and they need to play smart," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday.Asked what Trump will do with Republicans going forward, Leavitt said "stay tuned. Just keep your eyes on Truth Social. On this matter, the President is making his position on it quite clear, and again, he is right."

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