AS
GOP SCHISM GROWS, TRUMP ATTACKS FELLOW REPUBLICANS
JONATHAN
LEMIRE
YAHOO
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump trained his fire on
members of his own party Thursday, declaring in the aftermath of the
Republican's failed health care push that the conservative Freedom Caucus will
hurt the entire GOP agenda. He vowed to "fight them" in 2018 if they
don't get behind him.
The early-morning tweet from Trump highlighted the growing
schism in a Republican party that controls the White House and both branches of
Congress yet appears to be teetering on the precipice of a civil war. Republicans
plunged into a blame game over the demise of the years-long push to repeal and
replace President Barack Obama's signature health care legislation, with
members sniping at each other over how much they can work with Democrats — or
even the White House.
Trump's anger at the Freedom Caucus for posing as a stubborn
impediment to his governing runs the risk of alienating the conservative base
that fueled his rise during last year's Republican primaries and has to this
point remained loyal to the president.
With his poll numbers falling and his plans to move onto tax
reform and a robust infrastructure program imperiled, Trump took to Twitter to
attack the conservative group that many in the White House hold responsible for
sabotaging last week's health care vote.
"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!" Trump said.
Hours later, he went a step further and singled out three
members of the Freedom Caucus — Rep. Raul Labrador of Idaho, Rep. Jim Jordan of
Ohio and its chair, Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina — in a series of
tweets. He said that if they "would get on board we would have both great
healthcare and massive tax cuts & reform."
But as the White House considered flexing its muscle against the
Freedom Caucus, the group remained unbowed, with several members sparring with
a president whose agenda has stalled, whose approval ratings are hovering below
40 percent and who has been dogged by the ongoing probe into contacts between
his associates and Russian officials.
"It didn't take long for the swamp to drain
@realDonaldTrump," tweeted Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan. "No shame,
Mr. President. Almost everyone succumbs to the D.C. Establishment."
And Labrador wrote: "Freedom Caucus stood with u when
others ran. Remember who your real friends are."
Most of the GOP no-voters represent safely Republican seats —
some drawn to ensure they stay that way — and whose grip on power would only be
threatened by a primary challenger. They have also taken a stand knowing that
while Trump is popular in their districts, they are equally so.
Some Republicans seemed emboldened by the White House's
prodding: Grand Rapids businessman Brian Ellis challenged Amash to a primary in
2014 and said Thursday he may do so him again.
"It's the same old thing with the Freedom Caucus: Don't let
the perfect be the enemy of the good," Ellis said. "And for Amash to
reject them is to not reflect what I know to be the desire of the constituents
of this district."
The tweet was the latest step in Trump's apparent evolution from
blaming Democrats to members of his own party for the biggest defeat his White
House has faced so far. Last week, Trump publicly pointed to the other party
for refusing to cooperate on the bill, an incredulity-defying comment since no
Democrat was eager to replace Obamacare, nor did the White House conduct any
real outreach across the aisle.
But behind the scenes, Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and
chief strategist Steve Bannon pushed for a vote even after it was clear the GOP
bill did not have enough support to pass. The plan was to publicly identify
Republicans who broke with the president and potentially put them in Trump's
crosshairs, according an administration official who requested anonymity to
discuss private conversations.
Ryan talked them out of demanding the vote, saying it would
endanger members of their own party. But Trump is now considering retribution
for those who did not support him, which could include support for primary
challengers or using the trappings of the presidency — including using Air
Force One for presidential rallies in the members' home districts — to get them
in line and silence their criticisms of the White House, according to the
official.
Ryan on Thursday said he was sympathetic to the president's
angry tweet, which came a day after a number of outside conservative groups met
with White House senior officials to discuss the president's agenda.
"I share his frustration," said Ryan. "About 90
percent of our conference is for this bill to repeal and replace Obamacare and
about 10 percent are not and that's not enough to pass a bill."
Ryan also said that he worried that the defiant Republicans
would push Trump "into working with Democrats" on health care, a
result that he believed would not lead to a bill adherent to conservative
principles. Ryan's comment drew sharp criticism Republican Sen. Bob Corker of
Tennessee, further showcasing the GOP's intraparty divisions.
"We have come a long way in our country when the speaker of
one party urges a president NOT to work with the other party to solve a
problem," Corker tweeted.
Into the brewing battle stepped an unlikely would-be peacemaker:
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who once called fellow Republican Senate Majority Leader
Mitch McConnell "a liar" on the Senate floor, said he was
"working night and day" to find common ground to deliver on the
promise to repeal Obamacare.
"The only way for us to govern and deliver on our promises
is for Republicans not to turn the cannons on each other but stand united
behind shared principles," Cruz said.
___
Additional reporting by Erica Werner and Richard Lardner in
Washington and Thomas Beaumont in Des Moines, Iowa.
No comments:
Post a Comment