Lauren Boebert is, as we know, as MAGA as they come. And so the recent body slam of her close ally Donald Trump, the head MAGA, was, well, surprising.
And maybe even shocking. Next thing, she’ll be attacking Trump’s 90,000 square-foot ballroom as a vulgar expression of the president’s “dictator chic.” Or maybe she’d just settle for “ugly.”
But the more I think about Boebert’s direct attack on Trump for vetoing the bill to complete the Arkansas Valley Conduit — a bill sponsored by Boebert and passed unanimously by Congress — it looks both more and less than it seems.
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Some observers see it as a schism between Trump and a heretofore loyal ally. I would say it’s closer to a falling out than to a breach.
This is what Boebert’s attack definitely is not: a call to arms, a call to stop Trump’s war on Colorado generally, or even a change of MAGA heart.
For Boebert, her attack on Trump was personal. It was her bill, which benefits her district. And so it’s hardly surprising that Boebert came out swinging — no, not that kind of swinging — in her style, which she reserves for Democrats, RINOs or anyone else who disagrees with her.
And she’s definitely unhappy with the boss and not afraid to say so.
Here’s the money quote: “President Trump decided to veto a completely non-controversial, bipartisan bill that passed both the House and Senate unanimously. Why? Because nothing says ‘America First’ like denying clean drinking water to 50,000 people in Southeast Colorado, many of whom enthusiastically voted for him all three elections.”
She went just as hard in a statement from her office: “I must have missed the rally where he stood in Colorado and promised to personally derail critical water infrastructure projects. My bad, I thought the campaign was about lowering costs and cutting red tape.”
So, Boebert asks why Trump would do such a thing. My answer, which also reflects the conventional wisdom, is he did it because he can and because he is punishing Gov. Jared Polis and other Colorado officials for not freeing election grifter Tina Peters from prison. On the day after the veto, Trump posted that Polis — whom he called “scum” — and the GOP Mesa County prosecutor who tried Peters should “rot in hell.” No word, though, on Boebert’s final resting place.
Is Trump really an American Firster, as he claims? Then why is he on the verge of war in Venezuela? Why is he attacking Nigeria — yes, Nigeria? Why is he threatening South Africa — yes, South Africa? Has he given up on both America Firsting and the Nobel Peace Prize?
Is Boebert on to something?
Boebert, though, has a different take, I think. As she told 9News’ Kyle Clark, she is fine with Trump punishing Colorado because Trump is miffed about Tina Peters. She’s fine with Trump going after the “climate activists” at NCAR. She’s fine with Trump condemning Denver and other Colorado cities for their immigration policies.
Go after those guys, sure, but not the Trump voters in her district. Think about that for just a minute. Is Boebert really saying that a president should reward only those who vote for him? Is that really her idea of how a democracy should work?
But you get a clearer understanding when Boebert suggests that the veto was about her, as one of four Republicans who joined Democrats to force the release of the Epstein files.
“I sincerely hope this veto has nothing to do with political retaliation for calling out corruption and demanding accountability. Americans deserve leadership that puts people over politics,” she said.
That was a tough hit. And it does sound personal, but how personal was it? I’m sure Trump was extremely unhappy that Boebert, an Epstein-files zealot, turned against him on that vote.
But what has Trump said about Boebert? Basically nothing. She’s gotten a free pass to date. No personal assault on Boebert or her family, which would seem like prime Trump territory. Nothing about her trip to the theater. It’s almost like he has decided not to go after Boebert.
If you look at other Republicans who voted to release the files, Trump has called Marjorie Taylor Greene, whom he has basically forced to resign from Congress, a “traitor.” The thrice-married Trump mocked Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Kentucky, on social media for remarrying 16 months after his wife and high school sweetheart died unexpectedly. This is Trump — Jeffrey Epstein’s best buddy, serial adulterer and adjudicated rapist — attempting to take the, uh, moral high ground.
“Did Thomas Massie … get married already??? Boy, that was quick! No wonder the Polls have him at less than an 8% chance of winning the Election. Anyway, have a great life Thomas and (?). His wife will soon find out that she’s stuck with a LOSER!”
Boebert and Greene were once friends in attention-seeking defense of Trump, then they became frenemies, as political allies often do, and now Boebert has nothing to say about Trump calling Greene a traitor. She also has nothing to say about Trump’s hypocritical attack on Massie.
She definitely doesn’t defend the jury of Peters’ peers in deeply red Mesa County who convicted her. Or, for that matter, the rule of law.
I mean, it’s easy enough to see that Trump’s retaliatory moves against Colorado — just one more stop on his retribution tour — are not entirely about Boebert, if at all. Peters is being called the Last MAGA Prisoner, and Trump can’t stand the fact that he can’t pardon her when he has pardoned nearly 2,000 friends, assorted fraudsters and allies.
As you know, he has gone so far as to actually pretend to pardon Peters, even though knowing a president — even a wannabe dictator like Trump — can only pardon someone convicted of federal crimes. Peters was, of course, convicted of Colorado crimes.
The list of Trump assaults on Colorado includes cutting off funding for transportation, relocating Space Command (also from a pro-Trump district), rejecting disaster relief for rural counties — not in Boebert’s district — affected by floods and wildfires. None of it could be linked to a Trump tiff with Boebert.
Still, I’m glad Boebert took on Trump. It’s good to see someone in the servile GOP caucus speaking up. So, by the way, did GOP Rep. Jeff Hurd, who represents the 3rd Congressional District. It took some guts. I’m glad Boebert stood up for her district and the tens of thousands of people being denied clean water. I’m glad she understands, at least somewhat, Trump’s need to hurt innocent people simply so he can exact vengeance, whether it’s against her or the entire state.
But don’t be fooled. Do you think this signals an actual Boebert break with Trump? I see it more as a strongly worded appeal — the kind that Trump understands — for Trump to spare Colorado’s 4rd Congressional District, Boebert’s district, from the effects of his next tantrum.
Still, for all the friction, I wouldn’t see this as a break up so much as a rebuff. Because, as the song says, breakin’ up, and especially with Trump, is hard to do.
Mike Littwin has been a columnist for too many years to count. He has covered Dr. J, four presidential inaugurations, six national conventions and countless brain-numbing speeches in the New Hampshire and Iowa snow. Sign up for Mike’s newsletter.
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