Showdown of Trump, Dems “unfortunate for country”
Gov. John Hickenlooper called Tuesday’s testy televised meeting between President Donald Trump and Democratic congressional leaders “unfortunate for the country” and suggested leaders in Washington are too busy fighting for political points rather than solving the nation’s biggest problems.
“It has literally nothing to do with solving problems that we should be working on,” he said in an interview with The Denver Post on Wednesday morning.
The aim of Tuesday’s meeting between Trump, U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer was to find a budget compromise to avoid a partial federal government shutdown later this month. Trump is requesting$5 billion for his border wall, while congressional Democrats only want to authorize $1.3 billion.
A photo-op before the meeting quickly spiraled, with all three leaders exchanging jabs. The day ended with Pelosi questioning Trump’s “manhood.”
This type of political discourse, Hickenlooper said, “doesn’t well on anybody.”
Hickenlooper, Colorado’s termlimited governor who leaves office Jan. 8, is expected to announce before the end of March a bid to become the 2020 Democratic presidential nominee to challenge Trump for the White House.
As Hickenlooper winds down his work in Colorado, he and his team have been busy interviewing dozens of political operatives that specialize in polling and digital media. The Washington Post reported that Hickenlooper’s operation has interviewed 80 potential hires.
Hickenlooper will likely be one reflect of many Democrats vying for the nomination. The governor, who has built a brand on compromise and bipartisanship, could be up against the likes of liberal firebrand senators such as Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.
Hickenlooper is expected to run as a Washington outsider with a proven record of problem solving. Tuesday’s Oval Office showdown coupled with what observers expect to be two years of increased acrimony with divided government in the nation’s capital, could provide grist for Hickenlooper’s message.
“The stuff I’m going to be talking about is finding ways to bring people together and create solutions to the most pressing problems — and the most significant long-term problems that we face,” the governor said.
Ending economic inequality, expanding vocational training and curbing health care costs are just some of the issues Hickenlooper suggested Washington should occupy itself with.
“I think the country has to shake itself awake and recognize that we are spending a fortune on health care,” he said. “And we’re not getting the value we’re spending.”