Trump unexpectedly 'follows' the Democrats

Leaders of the two major parties in the US Congress (Capitol Hill) are probably still shocked that US President Donald Trump suddenly "followed" the Democrats.

Specifically, in a meeting with party leaders at the White House on September 6, Mr. Trump supported the Democratic proposal to raise the public debt ceiling to extend government spending until the end of December this year, a move to have more budget to repair the damage after the superstorms. President Donald Trump justified this "anti-party" action because he wanted a budget solution.

President Donald Trump speaks with (from left to right) Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, during a meeting with congressional leaders in the Oval Office of the White House, September 6, 2017. Photo: AP

But the Republicans were of course not only “shocked” but also extremely “angry”. The fact that Mr. Trump “shaked hands” with the Democrats “right under their noses” made Republican leaders in Congress such as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan feel embarrassed. Meanwhile, the Democrats also had to be vigilant after this move by President Donald Trump.

A "great earthquake" for the Republican Party

Before meeting with President Trump and the Democrats, Mr. Paul Ryan said that the Democrats' proposal to raise the debt ceiling was "ridiculous" and accused the Democrats of using natural disasters as a political card.

“I’ve never seen anything like this before,” said senior Republican Senator John McCain. “I have no idea what his motives are. I’m a pretty bright guy, but I don’t understand it.”

“This is a complete betrayal of everything we have talked about for years as Republicans,” former Sen. Jim DeMint told Politico.

Republican Congressman Mark Meadows said the deal would not bring better results for Republicans next December when Congress continues to face a new deadline to raise the debt ceiling to maintain government operations.

Initially, the Republicans proposed raising the debt ceiling, extending government spending for 18 months instead of the short three months proposed by the Democrats. They did not want to give the Democrats another chance to show off by having at least one more vote on the debt ceiling before the midterm elections next year.

“Hopefully the president will realize that it is in his political best interest to have as many Republicans in the Senate as possible,” said Texas Senator John Cornyn, the second-ranking Republican in the US Senate.

Expert Dan Mahaffee of the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress (CSPC) called Mr. Trump's action of "shaking hands" with the Democratic Party "kicking the hornet's nest."

“It reflects the frustration that President Trump has had over the last eight months in dealing with Republican leaders in Congress,” Mahaffee said. “He is now looking at what deals he can make with Democrats and how he can make up for Republicans’ inability to reach consensus on important policy goals.”

The US Democrats are taking advantage of the victory to advance…

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called President Trump’s decision a “positive step” to avoid default and to allow for quick disbursement of funds to help with the aftermath of the storms in Texas and Louisiana. “The country can breathe a sigh of relief,” Schumer said.

The “handshake” between Donald Trump and the Democrats made it easy for the US Senate to pass the $15.25 billion relief package after Hurricane Harvey, as well as raising the US debt ceiling and keeping the government running until December 8, 2017 with 80 votes in favor out of 100 seats. This issue will then be brought back to the House of Representatives for final approval.

Relations between President Donald Trump and the Democrats have suddenly warmed unusually in just the past 48 hours.

Not only did he reach an agreement with the Democrats on the issue of public debt, but Mr. Trump also followed the advice of the minority leader in the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, and took to Twitter to write reassuring messages to those affected by his recent decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

“To all of those who came to the United States as children and are worried about your status over the next 6 months, you don’t have to worry – No action!” Mr. Trump wrote on his personal Twitter page.

The President's seemingly small move has made Republicans feel bitter because Mr. Trump has long ignored advice from his own party members about moderating his statements on social media.

Along with immigration, Democrats are hoping to scuttle Republicans' tax reform plan and block proposed cuts to the federal budget.

…but still be very vigilant!

However, in general, the Democrats are still quite cautious when thinking that the "wind" changing direction on Capitol Hill is only temporary. Mr. Trump's support for them at this time is only a temporary solution while there are still many problems between the two sides.

“There is no long-term coalition,” said Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut. “There is no shared philosophy of how to run the government, just day-to-day approaches.”

US Democratic politicians warn that President Donald Trump's unpredictability makes him a "dangerous ally".

“Take advantage of this opportunity, but do it with the understanding that every few weeks, Mr. Trump can call out Mr. Chuck Schumer on Twitter,” said Mr. Chris Murphy.

Sharing with Bloomberg, Chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, Congressman Mark Meadows also said that Mr. Trump's agreement on the debt ceiling was only to focus attention on tax reform efforts./.

According to VOV