Media pundit Brit Hume thinks President Trump got taken for a ride when he struck a deal with Democrats last week. In the now infamous political move, the Republican president agreed to hike the debt ceiling by three months, pleasing both House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, but not many people who have "R" next to their name.
"He got rolled," Hume said. "The president got rolled, and his administration therefore got rolled, because as you pointed out correctly, doing this short-term deal attached to the Hurricane Harvey money, which was a must-pass and therefore a good vehicle to do a longer debt limit extension, … is now a three-month deal, and we're right back where we started … It's a terrible deal."
"Confounded" Republicans would agree. They had hoped for a debt ceiling fix that would last at least 18 months.
Media outlets like Politico interpreted Trump's handout to the Democrats as proof he has no interest in leading the GOP.
“The president has made clear he has little interest in leading the Republican Party — whether that means acting to defend its majorities or serving as its ideological ballast," the editors wrote.
Trump wasn't quite done reaching out to the Democrats after the debt deal. Reports confirmed that Trump took the advice of Pelosi yet again on how to assure DACA recipients after the White House announced they'd be rescinding the program. After their conversation, the president surprisingly tweeted that they "don't have to worry."
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Pundits can guess, but no one except the president himself can know why he decided to reach out to Democratic leaders. If it's because he's hoping they'll become friends, he may be chasing a wild dream.
As one of our columnists put it, "They're Never Going to Like You."
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