Trump had a tantrum and held up the signing of the Omnibus and COVID relief bills for no real reason. It’s likely that his impulse was that he could flex his muscles in a show of strength to get the GOP Senators to hand him the election. But mostly it was just acting out like a child who didn’t get his way upending the playing board out of pique and then flouncing off to his resort to pout for a while. He has the mind and temperament of a three year old:
Getting a cranky, stubborn President Trump to belatedly sign the COVID relief bill, after unemployment benefits had already lapsed, was like being a hostage negotiator, or defusing a bomb.
Driving the news: The deal was closed on a Sunday afternoon phone call with Trump, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy. “This is good,” Trump finally said, an official familiar with the call told me. “I should sign this.”
How it happened: Over many days, Mnuchin and McCarthy — aided by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who golfed with Trump in West Palm Beach on Friday — indulged the president’s rants, told him there was great stuff in the bill, and gave him “wins” he could announce, even though they didn’t change the bill.
Playing to his vanity, they invoked his legacy,and reminded him he didn’t want to hurt people.
They convinced the author of “The Art of the Deal” that he had shown himself to be a fighter, and that he had gotten all there was to get.
Trump’s sweeteners, from his 8:15 p.m. statement: “[T]he House and Senate have agreed to focus strongly on the very substantial voter fraud which took place in the November 3 Presidential election.”
“The Senate will start the process for a vote that increases checks to $2,000, repeals Section 230, and starts an investigation into voter fraud. Big Tech must not get protections of Section 230! Voter Fraud must be fixed! Much more money is coming. I will never give up my fight for the American people!”
Reality check … Republican pollster Frank Luntz, who worked hard to understand Trump, told me: “It may be too late. Too late for him, too late for the economy, too late for Covid, and too late for the Georgia senators.”
“The Senate will start the process…” “Much more money is coming …” Such a bullshit artist.
But I have to laugh whenever I see these people talking about Trump protecting “his legacy.” Here’s his legacy and it’s really special:
His legacy is that he is the biggest loser in American history. The only one who even comes close is Andrew Johnson, previously known as America’s worst president. Trump has won that title, hands down.
The Happy Hollandaise fundraiser goes through the end of the year so if you’re of a mind to kick in a little something below or at the snail mail address on the sidebar, I would be most grateful.
cheers,
digby