Report: Trump and McConnell have not talked in weeks after exchanging criticisms
President Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have publicly traded barbs in the recent past.
The New York Times reported Tuesday that the two men “have not spoken to each other in weeks, and Mr. McConnell has privately expressed uncertainty that Mr. Trump will be able to salvage his administration after a series of summer crises.”
The Times piece adds, based on inside sources, that it has become “a feud of mutual resentment and sometimes outright hostility, complicated by the position of Mr. McConnell’s wife, Elaine L. Chao, in Mr. Trump’s cabinet.”
Some of the friction surfaced after Trump blasted the senator in a series of tweets; on August 9, he wrote, “Senator Mitch McConnell said I had ‘excessive expectations,’ but I don’t think so. After 7 years of hearing Repeal & Replace, why not done?”
The president then tweeted a day later, “Mitch, get back to work and put Repeal & Replace, Tax Reform & Cuts and a great Infrastructure Bill on my desk for signing. You can do it!”
Trump is said to have been angered by a speech the Kentucky senator gave in which he indicated that Trump may have “excessive expectations” of the lawmaking process due to his relative inexperience in D.C.
The remarks reportedly resulted in a heated phone exchange between the two, in addition to more tweets from Trump criticizing McConnell for failing to overhaul Obamacare.
Axios points to concerns within the Republican party that the ongoing conflict between the two leaders will diminish its chances of enacting key legislation involving tax reform, spending measures, and health care, among others.
