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President Donald Trump jokes with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wy.), Vice President Mike Pence, Spaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) during an event celebrating the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act on the South Lawn of the White House December 20, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
From 'I Alone Can Fix It' to 'Congress Must Fix It' to... 'This Is a Waste of Time'
Predicting a "Red Wave" for the mid-terms—and as more than 2,000 children taken from their families languish in U.S. detention centers—president says "Republicans should stop wasting their time" on doing anything about immigration
Jun 22, 2018
President Donald Trump on Friday morning told Republican members of Congress to "stop wasting their time" on immigration reform, less than a day after two competing bills in the House (one worse than the other) both failed to pass despite the GOP majority.
The statement from the president, which of course came in the form of a tweet, was a glaring departure from his infamous "I alone can fix it" declaration during the 2016 presidential campaign and comes after his "cruel and usual" family separation and child imprisonment policy--spearheaded by Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen--exploded in his face spectacularly this week as national protest and international condemnation dominated the news.
On Monday of this week, Nielsen had defiantly told reporters, "Congress alone can fix it." But it appears, not this GOP-controlled Congress. So on Friday, Trump tweeted:
\u201cRepublicans should stop wasting their time on Immigration until after we elect more Senators and Congressmen/women in November. Dems are just playing games, have no intention of doing anything to solves this decades old problem. We can pass great legislation after the Red Wave!\u201d— Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump) 1529665590
While Trump had earlier this week said he was behind the efforts of Republicans in the House "one-thousand percent," his vague support and lack of specificity on the actual bills before lawmakers ultimately came across as an empty gesture.
Prior to his reversal on his child detention policy, Trump had tried to put the blame on Democrats, but as was roundly reported that assertion was just another one of Trump's flagrant lies.
Meanwhile, the child victims of his separation policy continue to languish in detention centers and it remains unclear how and when--or even if--they will be reunited with their families:
\u201cTwo days ago, Trump signed an executive order entitled: "Affording Congress an Opportunity to Address Family Separation"\n\nNow, Trump says Congress should not bother trying to do anything. \n\nMeanwhile, 2300+ children remain separated from their parents. https://t.co/uf616gyjds\u201d— Judd Legum (@Judd Legum) 1529671372
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President Donald Trump on Friday morning told Republican members of Congress to "stop wasting their time" on immigration reform, less than a day after two competing bills in the House (one worse than the other) both failed to pass despite the GOP majority.
The statement from the president, which of course came in the form of a tweet, was a glaring departure from his infamous "I alone can fix it" declaration during the 2016 presidential campaign and comes after his "cruel and usual" family separation and child imprisonment policy--spearheaded by Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen--exploded in his face spectacularly this week as national protest and international condemnation dominated the news.
On Monday of this week, Nielsen had defiantly told reporters, "Congress alone can fix it." But it appears, not this GOP-controlled Congress. So on Friday, Trump tweeted:
\u201cRepublicans should stop wasting their time on Immigration until after we elect more Senators and Congressmen/women in November. Dems are just playing games, have no intention of doing anything to solves this decades old problem. We can pass great legislation after the Red Wave!\u201d— Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump) 1529665590
While Trump had earlier this week said he was behind the efforts of Republicans in the House "one-thousand percent," his vague support and lack of specificity on the actual bills before lawmakers ultimately came across as an empty gesture.
Prior to his reversal on his child detention policy, Trump had tried to put the blame on Democrats, but as was roundly reported that assertion was just another one of Trump's flagrant lies.
Meanwhile, the child victims of his separation policy continue to languish in detention centers and it remains unclear how and when--or even if--they will be reunited with their families:
\u201cTwo days ago, Trump signed an executive order entitled: "Affording Congress an Opportunity to Address Family Separation"\n\nNow, Trump says Congress should not bother trying to do anything. \n\nMeanwhile, 2300+ children remain separated from their parents. https://t.co/uf616gyjds\u201d— Judd Legum (@Judd Legum) 1529671372
President Donald Trump on Friday morning told Republican members of Congress to "stop wasting their time" on immigration reform, less than a day after two competing bills in the House (one worse than the other) both failed to pass despite the GOP majority.
The statement from the president, which of course came in the form of a tweet, was a glaring departure from his infamous "I alone can fix it" declaration during the 2016 presidential campaign and comes after his "cruel and usual" family separation and child imprisonment policy--spearheaded by Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen--exploded in his face spectacularly this week as national protest and international condemnation dominated the news.
On Monday of this week, Nielsen had defiantly told reporters, "Congress alone can fix it." But it appears, not this GOP-controlled Congress. So on Friday, Trump tweeted:
\u201cRepublicans should stop wasting their time on Immigration until after we elect more Senators and Congressmen/women in November. Dems are just playing games, have no intention of doing anything to solves this decades old problem. We can pass great legislation after the Red Wave!\u201d— Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump) 1529665590
While Trump had earlier this week said he was behind the efforts of Republicans in the House "one-thousand percent," his vague support and lack of specificity on the actual bills before lawmakers ultimately came across as an empty gesture.
Prior to his reversal on his child detention policy, Trump had tried to put the blame on Democrats, but as was roundly reported that assertion was just another one of Trump's flagrant lies.
Meanwhile, the child victims of his separation policy continue to languish in detention centers and it remains unclear how and when--or even if--they will be reunited with their families:
\u201cTwo days ago, Trump signed an executive order entitled: "Affording Congress an Opportunity to Address Family Separation"\n\nNow, Trump says Congress should not bother trying to do anything. \n\nMeanwhile, 2300+ children remain separated from their parents. https://t.co/uf616gyjds\u201d— Judd Legum (@Judd Legum) 1529671372
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