Trump at odds with own party

Tweets threaten House Freedom Caucus

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump won his office despite the best efforts of some in his party.

Now, the tenuous bonds between Trump and the GOP are increasingly on public display as the president feuds with conservatives and White House officials debate whether to reach out to Democrats in order to restart his domestic agenda.

The latest evidence came Thursday as Trump escalated his political battle against members of the House Freedom Caucus, the conservative lawmakers who had helped block the health care bill he backed.

He tweeted that the caucus would “hurt the entire Republican agenda if they don’t get on the team.”

“We must fight them, & Dems, in 2018!” he wrote.

Later, he singled out three of the group’s leaders — Mark Meadows, R-N.C., Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Raul Labrador, R-Idaho — urging them to “get on board.”

It was an extraordinary message, suggesting that Trump might try to back challengers in primaries against lawmakers of his own party.

The problem Trump faces is that the coalition that narrowly elected him crossed traditional party lines. It included Republicans, but also independent voters and some Democrats who had supported Barack Obama in both of his elections.

Most members of Congress were elected by more traditional partisans. That leaves Trump without a clear base in Congress that can be counted on to agree with him on his agenda, putting him almost in the position of a political independent.

Trump might have seemed to align most naturally — temperamentally, at least — with the Freedom Caucus. Both he and the caucus members have reveled in their ability to disrupt the party establishment. Some of the group’s President Donald Trump tweeted on the caucus: “We must fight them, & Dems, in 2018!” leaders, including chairman Meadows, were among his earliest supporters. But he blames them for last week’s collapse of the health care bill, even though many centrist Republicans opposed it too.

In response to Trump’s attack, members of the group responded with a mix of disbelief and defiance. Few, if any, gave signs of being intimidated.

“It didn’t take long for the swamp to drain Donald Trump,” responded Rep. Justin Amash, R-Mich., on Twitter. “Almost everyone succumbs to the D.C. Establishment.”

The White House said again Thursday that the president was now open to working with Democrats to advance remaining priorities.

“He has a bold and robust agenda . ... And he’s going to get the votes from wherever he can,” press secretary Sean Spicer said.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., told reporters Thursday that he shared Trump’s frustration with the Freedom Caucus, a group that has stymied House his predecessor, John Boehner.

But in an interview with CBS News, Ryan expressed concern about Trump’s new interest in bipartisanship, at least on health care.

“What I worry about … is that if we don’t do this, then he’ll just go work with Democrats to try and change Obamacare and that’s not — that’s hardly a conservative thing,” Ryan said.

What is especially vexing for the party leadership is that holding the White House typically unites a party, as was largely the case for Democrats under eight years of Barack Obama.

Trump will almost certainly need Democrats next month to ensure the federal government does not shut down when funds expire for most government agencies. The most conservative members of the House and Senate have routinely refused to approve current spending levels, let alone the increased money Trump seeks for defense and the border wall. The White House has been contacting centrist Democrats to test their appetite for working with him.

But Trump’s early agenda — trying to repeal Obamacare and his aggressive use of executive power on immigration, abortion and the environment — may have spoiled any chance of a partnership with Democrats.

Trump’s pitch for health care was mostly behind the scenes; he discussed the legislation only briefly at two rallies outside Washington in March.

On Thursday, the White House acknowledged that tactics that worked for Trump before were either not applied or did not translate to governing.

“My guess is he has learned through this process that politics is different than business,” Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Mich., said after the health care bill’s demise. Lawmakers are independent contractors answering to voters, not the president, he said.

“There’s no ability (for him) to sit at the table and say, ‘You’re fired.’ It’s up to our constituents.”