So, by now, we’re in a messaging war over the alleged deal over immigration. President Trump had Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Minority Leader (D-CA) over for dinner; where a deal over the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals was hashed out. It was first reported that DACA would be made law via an act of Congress, and that border security measures would follow. The wall was not part of the deal. Then, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that the excluding the wall was not in the so-called agreement. Could this be the first step in having a more productive Congress? Sen. Schumer apparently thinks so after this hot mic moment (via NTK Network):
“He [Trump] likes us. He likes me, anyway. Look, what we said was exactly accurate. Here's what I told him: I said, Mr. President, you are much better off if you can sometimes step right and sometimes step left. You have to step just in one direction; you're boxed. He gets that. We are always going to work it out and it will make us more productive too.
Frankly, we’re going to have to wait and see on all of this because Democrats think there’s a deal to make DACA law, protect the DREAMers from deportation, and hash out something to strengthen the border.
President Trump says there was no deal with Democrats on DACA, there must be a wall in order to reach an agreement https://t.co/TPLrHsb1oI pic.twitter.com/rUX25JFYYI
— Bloomberg Politics (@bpolitics) September 14, 2017
In Florida, President Trump said his administration is working with everyone to hash something out on this issue, but that a wall has to be part of the agreement. Then again, he also sort of insinuated that a DACA deal could come before the wall.
Speaker of the House Paul Ryan flatly rejected the notion that a deal occurred last night, but a discussion after a phone call from Air Force One. Schumer also said that in this supposed deal that may or may not exist, that the border wall would be an issue the president would revisit. Rep. Steve King (R-IA), an immigration hawk, warned that if this deal were true, it would destroy Trump’s base.
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Pelosi says she & Schumer told Trump working on DACA could help address other issues the President has had.
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) September 14, 2017
Pelosi: I'm not here to speak about what the President understands..down the road there is a..path to citizenship w/the DREAM Act
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) September 14, 2017
Schumer on DACA: There is still much to be done. We have to put meat on the bones of the agreement. Details will matter
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) September 14, 2017
Schumer: While both sides agree the wall would not be any part of this agreement - the president made clear he intends to pursue it..later
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) September 14, 2017
Pelosi says path to citizenship in DREAM Act is an "earned path..it's a long, earned path."
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) September 14, 2017
Pelosi on Trump: I do trust the president is sincere and understands the public supports not sending (DREAMers) back
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) September 14, 2017
Ryan on DAC/Dems: There is no agreement. The prez & CoS called me from AF1. It was a discussion, not an agreement.
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) September 14, 2017
Frankly, any deal with Nancy and Chuck should give conservatives pause. The two are bi-coastal liberal elites, who will take miles if you give them an inch. At the same time, Trump knows he needs to get some aspect of his agenda on the move. Voters are not disapproving of him reaching out to Democrats. Also, they don’t want DREAMers to be deported either, and that includes two-thirds of Trump voters. This isn’t a conservative Republican agenda. It’s a right-leaning populist one—and if some aspect of it can get passed regardless of who is helping push that vehicle forward—I think Trump voters would accept it. Voters know not everything is going to get done in the manner in which pitched on the stump. Besides immigration being a cornerstone of Trump’s platform, he also made it his business to bash both parties, positioning himself as someone who could get things done no matter what party affiliation. Of course, his default is to go to the GOP. After tripping up on health care twice, he looked to the Democrats for Harvey relief, the debt ceiling, and now immigration. Ben Domenech of The Federalist suggested that this is a pivot, the realization that Trump know that he is in charge, not Ryan or McConnell’s whose agendas were not the ones on the minds of GOP voters when they went to the polls in 2016. If the GOP can’t get it done, then what’s the harm of seeing if the Democrats would jump onboard. Not necessarily agreeing with that position, but the man knows he needs to get something done. He’s trying to do that.
Trump: If Republicans can't stick together to pass legislation, I'm going to have to work with Democrats
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) September 14, 2017
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