Ron Johnson meets with Trump amid 'Big Beautiful Bill' backlash

Ron Johnson meets with Trump amid 'Big Beautiful Bill' backlash

Sen. Ron Johnson remains opposed to President Trump's ?Big Beautiful Bill" after meeting with the president.

MILWAUKEE - President Donald Trump wants Congress to deliver his "One Big Beautiful Bill" by Independence Day.

There's just one problem: a handful of Republicans aren't yet sold on it, including Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI).

What we know:

The president went as far as to say senators should lock themselves in a room and get this done. Johnson said he'd be fine with that, but he's not fine with just how much spending the bill would greenlight.

Sen. Ron Johnson

All week long, Johnson made his case through the national TV circuit.

"How do we expect to defend this nation if we're mortgaging its future, if we're bankrupting it?" he asked on Sunday Morning Futures. 

"[...] I just can't accept $2 trillion-plus deficits as far as the eye can see," he said on The Hill.

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This week, Wisconsin's senior senator has also released memos, detailing the surge in government spending post-pandemic and how the One Big Beautiful Bill would just continue that trend.

White House

That could explain why the White House invited him over for a meeting.

"I met with the president at the White House, I guess two days ago. Good meeting, very respectful," he said on Wake Up America. "We respect each other — we're on the same page. We want to get this debt under control. It's just hard to do."

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Professor Emeritus Mordecai Lee notes that reducing the deficit has always been one of Johnson's campaign promises.

"I suspect that he's authentically torn," Lee said. "He's exactly what conservatives have been for decades. On the other hand, when President Trump came on scene, he became a MAGA guy."

The question now: does the opposition hold, or do meetings with the president change his tune?

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"It's the power of the presidency. We're not talking about Trump personally or about any other president, but when your party needs you, when the president tells you that he needs your vote, it's really hard to say no," Lee said.

Sen. Ron Johnson

Johnson stopped short of saying he's a "no" on the bill in all of these appearances, pointing to the fact the senate hasn't received the full bill text yet.

What's next:

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said it could hit the Senate floor this week.