House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) on Thursday said President Donald Trump sided with Democrats on a debt limit deal despite unanimous Republican opposition because Trump wanted “a bipartisan moment” as Hurricane Irma barreled toward Florida.
Asked whether he thinks Trump is a reliable negotiating partner on subjects dear to Republicans’ hearts, Ryan said, “I do, I do.”
“Look, I know there’s a lot of interpretations and all of this stuff about the meeting yesterday. Isn’t it a good thing that congressional leaders talk?” he said at his weekly press conference. “I mean, that’s probably a pretty good thing.”
Though Ryan, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin all attended Trump’s meeting with congressional leaders, the President sided with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) over unanimous Republican opposition. Republicans were left with no choice but to fall in line, grin and bear it.
“The President made it really clear, and what he was aiming for in that meeting yesterday was a bipartisan moment while the country is facing two horrible hurricanes,” Ryan said.
He said his “strong opinion” was, when it comes to “the debt limit and the credit markets, the longer the better” for any such deal.
“But he was interested in making sure that this is a bipartisan moment while we respond to these hurricanes,” Ryan said. “And he made that clear. And I think that’s what his motivation was.”
