Trump is dangling his endorsement over the Texas Senate runoff, but the voting bill he is using as leverage doesn’t have the votes to pass

President Donald Trump is still deciding who to endorse in the Texas U.S. Senate runoff, and his choice is tied to what happens with the SAVE America Act. He told NBC News on Saturday that he plans to make his endorsement sometime next week.

Senator John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton are facing each other in a Republican primary runoff on May 26. Both candidates are pushing hard to win Trump’s support in the final stretch of the race.

According to NBC News, Trump made it clear that his endorsement depends on the bill moving forward. “A lot has to do with the SAVE America Act,” he said. “Republicans have to get that passed, because that will secure voting in this country.” He added that he likes both candidates “very much” and believes “they both win” against Democratic nominee James Talarico, whom he called “so weak.”

The SAVE America Act is being used as political leverage, but passing it in the Senate remains a near-impossible task

The SAVE America Act has already passed the House and is expected to come up in the Senate next week. The bill would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and a photo ID to cast a ballot, whether in person or by mail. It does not include a ban on mail-in voting or anti-transgender provisions, both of which Trump has recently pushed for.

The bill faces a major obstacle in the Senate: the filibuster, which requires 60 votes to pass most legislation. Paxton has strongly pushed for eliminating the filibuster to get the bill passed. Trump has also shown a willingness to challenge sitting Republicans who resist his agenda when they stand in the way of his priorities.

Cornyn, who has long supported the 60-vote rule, recently said he would back “whatever changes to Senate rules that may prove necessary” to pass the bill. Trump acknowledged Cornyn’s shift, saying, “I very much appreciate that he is” willing to eliminate the filibuster. But he made it clear that the priority is simply to “get it passed.”

Despite this political maneuvering, the bill is highly unlikely to pass. Republicans do not have the votes needed to eliminate the filibuster, and they also cannot reach the 60-vote threshold required to overcome it. This comes as Trump continues to make key personnel decisions shaping Republican leadership across multiple fronts.

Trump also expressed some doubt about Cornyn being the strongest candidate for the GOP to hold the Senate seat. “I don’t know that to be a fact,” he said when asked about Cornyn’s electability. He also made clear he does not see Paxton as unelectable, suggesting he is keeping his options open ahead of his endorsement decision.