To Allies’ Chagrin, Trump Swerves Left
WASHINGTON — Republican congressional leaders perched on the couches in the Oval Office froze in mid-smile on Wednesday afternoon when
they realized President Trump was bypassing them to cut a short-term spending and debt ceiling deal with Democrats, and not them.
“If we can get something to happen, we are going to sign it,
and we’re going to make a lot of happy people,” Mr. Trump told reporters en route to Bismarck, N. D.
The Oval Office meeting produced a moment that legislators and staff members described as instantly iconic, and not in a good way.
Asked during an appearance on Wednesday morning with congressional leaders if he
had any second thoughts on his decision, Mr. Trump said, “No second thoughts.”
But administration officials said the move greatly undercut the position of another key cabinet official, Attorney
General Jeff Sessions, a longtime proponent of tougher enforcement of immigration laws, who announced the move.
Instead, Mr. Trump — who has often outsourced the details of negotiations to subordinates like Vice President Mike Pence — interrupted
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin as he argued for an 18-month debt ceiling increase to stabilize financial markets.
