Trump’s nice-guy stance comes with threats
If Democrats launch any investigations, ‘two can play that game,’ he warns
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump offered on Wednesday to work across party lines with Democrats who won control of the House in midterm elections.
But he threatened to retaliate if they use their newfound power to investigate his financial and political dealings.
“There are many things we can get along on,” Trump said at a news conference at the White House.
“I would like to see bipartisanship. I would like to see unity. Maybe not on everything, but I think we have a very good chance of seeing that.”
Praising Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, who may become the next Speaker, Trump said he thought he could make deals with her and her caucus on issues like health care, the environment and infrastructure, including new roads.
In some ways, he said, it might be easier to get things through than if Republicans kept a narrow hold on the House.
But he said he would fight fire with fire if Democrats follow through on their vows to use their new subpoena power to demand the release of his tax returns and reopen the investigation into any alleged interactions between Trump’s campaign and Russia during the 2016 campaign.
He said he would adopt a “warlike posture” and get the Senate Republicans to investigate the Democrats.
“They can play that game, but we can play better because we have a thing called the United States Senate and a lot of questionable things were done between leaks of classified information and many other elements that should not have taken place,” he said.
And he wrote on Twitter: “If the Democrats think they are going to waste Taxpayer Money investigating us at the House level, then we will likewise be forced to consider investigating them for all of the leaks of Classified Information, and much else, at the Senate level,” he wrote. “Two can play that game!” Then, in a head-spinning pivot, Trump shortly afterward endorsed Pelosi for House Speaker and even volunteered Republican votes if she cannot muster enough in her own caucus.
“In all fairness, Nancy Pelosi deserves to be chosen Speaker of the House by the Democrats,” he wrote.
“If they give her a hard time, perhaps we will add some Republican votes. She has earned this great honour!”
Whether he meant it as a gracious gesture or a tweak because he enjoys having Pelosi as a foil was not immediately clear.
While Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama expressed humility following major midterm losses in 1994, 2006 and 2010 — Bush called his setback a “thumpin’,” and Obama described his as a “shellacking” — Trump acted as if he had nothing to regret.
Trump had every reason to feel good about the results in the Senate, where Republicans knocked off three Democratic incumbents, while losing only one of their own seats in Nevada.
If they hold on to their current leads, Republicans will increase their majority in the upper chamber from 51 seats to 54, giving them far more manoeuvring room as they confirm judges and other appointments by Trump.
But the loss of the House is a major blow to the president, whose party until now controlled all the levers of power in Washington and still had trouble passing some of his top legislative priorities other than tax cuts.
As of Wednesday morning, Democrats have picked up 26 seats with 23 races still to be called.
The turnover in the House foreshadows a dramatic change in Trump’s presidency. A Democratic House not only can block Trump’s priorities like building a wall along the southern border, it can use subpoena power to investigate all manner of issues that he had been protected from until now.
Among other things, Democrats likely will demand the release of tax returns that he has kept secret, look into his business dealings and reopen the House investigation into any ties between Trump’s team and Russia during the 2016 presidential election.
“We’ll fill in the gaps on the Russia investigations,” Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., a member of the House Intelligence Committee, said on NBC News on Wednesday morning.
“The American people will see his tax returns, not because of any voyeuristic interest, but because they should know if he is corrupt.
“And we will look at the cashing in of access to the Oval Office and that has been concerning and his financial entanglements overseas.”
More dangerous to the president, a Democratic House has the power to impeach him, even if they would not be able to muster the two-thirds vote required for conviction in the Senate.
Democratic leaders, including Pelosi, have resisted the idea of impeachment, but could come under enormous pressure from the party’s liberal base — especially if Robert Mueller, the special counsel, produces a report with damning information.