President Trump Wednesday blamed massive Republican losses within the off-year elections on the federal government shutdown and “kamikaze” Democrats.
Hours after voters in a number of states and New York Metropolis rebuked Trump’s GOP allies, the president conceded the outcomes weren’t “good for Republicans,” lashed out at Democrats and prompt Republicans ought to take a fair more durable line with their political opponents.
“I think (Democrats are) kamikaze pilots. I think these guys are kamikaze,” Trump mentioned. “They’ll take down the country if they have to.”
President Donald Trump speaks throughout a breakfast assembly with Senate Republicans within the State Eating Room of the White Home on Wednesday. (SAUL LOEB/AFP by way of Getty Pictures)
Trump vowed to debate the outcomes extra candidly behind closed doorways with Republican senators gathered for a breakfast assembly.
“I thought we’d have a discussion after the press leaves about what last night represented and what we should do about it and also about the shutdown and how that relates to last night,” he mentioned. “If you read the pollsters, the shutdown was a big factor, negative for Republicans.”
As standard, Trump refused to just accept any blame for the outsized defeats in Virginia, New Jersey, New York Metropolis and California, asserting that unnamed analysts mentioned he wasn’t at fault for the losses.
“They say that I wasn’t on the ballot, (I) wasn’t the biggest factor,” Trump mentioned. “I don’t know about that, but I was honored that they said that.”
Democrats say Trump and Republicans ought to shift course by negotiating a bipartisan answer to the shutdown and skyrocketing well being prices.
“The extremists want to make your life more expensive, take away healthcare and keep the government shut down,” tweeted Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the Home Democratic chief. “Have they learned nothing from being wiped out last night?”
Though many citizens advised pollsters they need to see bipartisan efforts to finish the shutdown, Trump prompt he desires to double down on his push to scrap the Senate filibuster rule, which requires a 60-vote supermajority to move most laws.
Trump says ending the filibuster would enable the GOP to shortly reopen the federal government and sure push by different controversial laws whereas Republicans management each homes of Congress and the White Home.
“It’s time for Republicans to do what they have to do and that’s terminate the filibuster,” he mentioned. “We should start tonight with ‘the country’s open, congratulations.’ Then we should pass voter ID, we should pass no mail-in voting.”
Many Republican lawmakers oppose ending the filibuster as a result of they worry it will give Democrats a free hand to implement their very own insurance policies if and once they regain unified management of the federal government.
