President Donald Trump threw a unity occasion for Republican senators on the newly paved-over White Home Rose Backyard on Tuesday to rejoice the GOP’s steadfast refusal to barter with Democrats as the federal government shutdown drags into its fourth week with no sign of ending.
And ripping a web page out of his earlier playbooks, he despatched the lawmakers dwelling with Trump merchandising swag baggage.
Reporter Ryan Nobles posted photographs of the items Trump gave away like door prizes at his gathering, together with one to Missouri Sen. Eric Schmitt, writing, “Senator Schmitt confirmed us his ‘Gulf of America’ Trump signed hat from his White Home swag bag.”
“Cheesy AF additionally isn’t that unlawful?” this Threads person puzzled.
“What an embarrassing group of individuals,” one other commented in response to a Threads put up of a photograph of South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham exhibiting off his swag bag “Make America Nice Once more” cap.
“If I’d have accepted a notepad at work I’d have been let go. Why does every thing simply get neglected?” social media person Mary Jacob posted on Threads.
“Merch queens,” nonetheless one other remarked.
“What a sycophantic ass,” one other identified.
“Oh give me a f-cking break! Bunch of youngsters. I need to understand how a lot these goodie baggage price the American taxpayer!” nonetheless one other demanded.
This isn’t the primary time Trump has handed out signed Trump-themed merchandise. He did the identical factor after his “One Large Lovely Invoice” handed the Senate final summer time.
He went on what The New York Occasions referred to as a “blunt-force attraction offensive,” giving lawmakers signed swag and posing for photographs within the Oval Workplace.
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Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett mentioned of Trump on X on the time, “He signed a bunch of stuff—it’s cool.”
“He instructed me he likes seeing me on TV, which was sort of cool,” Burchett smoozed. He additionally mentioned Trump showered different Republicans with MAGA memorabilia, too.
However the optics of celebrating Republicans’ refusal to barter with Democrats over the continuing shutdown as federal staff stand in line at meals pantries is alarming, to say the least, and one other signal of simply how out of contact Trump is with the typical American and even his personal federal staff.
Trump has continued to politicize the stalemate between Democrats and Republicans and has continued accountable Democrats for the closure, although Trump and Republicans management the federal government.
He has ordered his price range chief to chop Democrat-supported applications and tasks in an try to attempt to pressure his opponents into giving in and voting to move a stopgap funding measure.
However Democrats aren’t caving. They’ve demanded any spending measure embrace protections for expiring Reasonably priced Care Act subsidies and reverse drastic Medicaid cuts Trump and Republicans made when the President’s “One Large Lovely Invoice” handed this summer time with none bipartisan assist.
The sweeping invoice extends Trump’s 2017 tax cuts for the wealthiest Individuals and pays for different administration priorities. However it does so by slicing greater than $1 trillion from well being applications within the largest such federal rollback in historical past.
