The same week he announced he is “serious” about working with Democrats in Congress to pass legislation, President Donald Trump fired off a tweet Thursday morning vowing to fight them and the conservative House Freedom Caucus going forward.
The Freedom Caucus will hurt the entire Republican agenda if they don’t get on the team, & fast. We must fight them, & Dems, in 2018!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 30, 2017
How he plans to pass legislation through Congress without support from either Democrats or hardline conservatives remains to be seen. The GOP health care overhaul went down in flames last week due to opposition from both camps as well as moderate Republicans, who have so far escaped the president’s wrath.
Members of the Freedom Caucus and their allies hit back at the President with their own tweets Thursday morning, accusing Trump of becoming part of the “swamp” he had once vowed to drain and pointing to the unpopularity of the bill they helped defeat.
.@realDonaldTrump it’s a swamp not a hot tub. We both came here to drain it. #SwampCare polls 17%. Sad! https://t.co/4kjygV2tdS
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) March 30, 2017
It didn’t take long for the swamp to drain @realDonaldTrump. No shame, Mr. President. Almost everyone succumbs to the D.C. Establishment. https://t.co/9bDo8yzH7I
— Justin Amash (@justinamash) March 30, 2017
As they vow to tackle the thorny issue of tax reform in the wake of the health care effort’s demise, Republicans’ narrow majorities in both the House and Senate mean they must unify as a party or reach across the aisle going forward. The President just made both prospects more difficult.
Good. This just guaranteed that his agenda will never pass- no wall, no budget, no tax cuts, no easy path for Gorsuch. Pass the popcorn please!
Congress? I don’ need no stinkin’ Congress
“We must fight them … in 2018” sounds like a desire to primary Freedom Caucus members. Has a sitting president ever threatened to challenge a significant portion of their majority in the past? I can’t think of it happening.
Exactly. This is not going to end well.
Or if some peculiar twist of fate (bribery? death threats? primary challenge threats?) produces a suddenly docile Freedom Caucus with love in their eyes for their president then they’ll get eaten alive in their gerrymandered districts back home.
Pretty much works for me either way, though option A is my top choice.
Can we just stop pretending this man cares about anything other than himself and money?