‘Cranky’ Trump caves in over aid bill
DONALD TRUMP abruptly approved a $2.3trillion coronavirus relief and spending package which he previously called a ‘disgrace’.
The US president caved in after holding out for a week because he wanted Americans to receive cheques for $2,000 instead of $600. His advisers are said to have spent days coaxing him around with one report calling him ‘cranky and stubborn’ and likening the process to hostage negotiation.
The delay meant that unemployment benefits for 12million Americans temporarily lapsed, depriving them of their sole source of income for the start of January.
The president had sparked fury by inserting himself into the process at the last minute having shown no interest in negotiations for months. While Americans fretted over Christmas about the fate of their unemployment cheques, Mr Trump went golfing at one of his clubs near his estate in Palm Beach, Florida.
The $ 2.3trillion package includes $1.4trillion to fund the government until September and Mr Trump signed it 24 hours before a shutdown was due to begin. It also includes $900billion in Covid-19 relief that includes the stimulus cheques and funding for small businesses and vaccine distribution.
Mr Trump had been under tremendous pressure from Republicans, who approved the bill after intense negotiations with Democrats. Politics website Axios reported Mr Trump’s advisers brought him round while playing golf last week where they played to his vanity. Senator Lindsey Graham indulged Mr Trump’s rants and gave him ‘wins’ he could announce, even though the bill had not changed. Mr Graham invoked Mr Trump’s legacy and told him he didn’t want to hurt people during a process that was akin to defusing a bomb. During a phone call on Sunday afternoon Mr Trump finally relented and said: ‘ This is good. I should sign this.’
The White House released a face-saving statement saying that Mr Trump wasn’t done with the bill yet.
Mr Trump said: ‘I will send back to Congress a redlined version, item by item, accompanied by the formal rescission request to Congress insisting that those funds be removed from the bill.’
The statement added: ‘Much more money is coming, and I will never give up my fight for the American people!’ The U-turn comes after Mr Trump spent days assailing the package and demanded $2,000 cheques which Republicans had rejected.
In Tweets Mr Trump called $600 ‘measly’ and wrote: ‘Give our people the money!’
But the reality is that Mr Trump is now a lame duck president and his power is draining away from him.