House Republicans are expected to vote this afternoon on yet another partisan immigration plan, negotiated behind closed doors between conservative Republicans and even-more-conservative Republicans. (If you hear someone call this a “compromise” plan, feel free to set them straight.)
The bill is likely to fall short of a majority, though Donald Trump this morning turned to Twitter to urge GOP lawmakers to support it.
“House Republicans should pass the strong but fair immigration bill, known as Goodlatte II, in their afternoon vote today, even though the Dems won’t let it pass in the Senate. Passage will show that we want strong borders & security while the Dems want open borders = crime. Win!”
The presidential missive was published in all caps, suggesting Trump felt strongly about the message.
The trouble, of course, is that congressional Republicans have no idea whether to take the message seriously, since the president has changed his mind about the bill many, many times.
Let’s take a quick stroll down memory lane:
June 14: GOP leaders and White House officials work out the contours of a conservative immigration plan.
June 15: Trump announces he won’t sign the plan.
June 15: The White House announces the president will sign the plan.
June 19: Trump urges Congress to “get it done” right away, because “now is the best opportunity ever.”
June 19: The president appears on Capitol Hill and leaves members more confused about what he wants them to do.
June 20: Trump meets privately with several House Republicans, and reportedly expresses some sympathy for conservatives’ criticisms of the leadership’s bill.
June 21: With just hours to go before a scheduled vote, the president tweets that he doesn’t understand “the purpose” of House Republicans even trying to pass an immigration bill.
June 22: Trump urges GOP lawmakers to “stop wasting their time” on immigration legislation.
June 27: The president urges Republicans to pass their immigration bill, even if it’s doomed.
The funny thing is, there’s still time for Trump to change his mind again.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."