Trump, McConnell bury differences, show solidarity
WASHINGTON — President Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell sought to project unity Monday amid heightening tensions between the president and Senate Republicans that threaten to complicate the GOP’s fall legislative agenda and midterm election strategy.
At a joint news conference at the White House, Trump and McConnell tried to dismiss media reports of their troubled relationship and to demonstrate that they are on the same page when it comes to the effort to rewrite the nation’s tax laws.
But one uncomfortable element of the dynamic between McConnell and Trump continued to loom over the two men: the actions of Stephen Bannon, Trump’s former chief strategist.
Bannon is waging an effort to unseat Republican senators loyal to the majority leader in the midterms by backing insurgent primary challengers. Trump said Monday that he has a “very good relationship” with Bannon. At the same time, he hinted he might try to persuade him not to take on certain GOP senators.
“Some of the people that he may be looking at — I’m going to see if we talk him out of that, because frankly they’re great people,” said Trump. He did not specify who he had in mind.
McConnell explained that his midterm goal is simply to keep Republicans in control of the Senate majority.
“Winners make policy, and losers go home,” he said bluntly.
Trump and McConnell both said they are aiming to complete a sweeping revision of the nation’s tax laws by the end of this year, although they left open the possibility that might not happen.
“We have the same agenda,” the majority leader said.
Earlier in the day, the tensions between Republican senators and Trump were on display at a Cabinet meeting where the president empathized with Bannon and blamed Senate Republicans for the GOP’s legislative woes.
Trump said at the meeting that Bannon was “very committed to getting things passed.” He added: “We’re not getting the job done. And I’m not going to blame myself, I’m going to be honest. They are not getting the job done.”