President-elect Trump said on Wednesday whether Republicans on Capitol Hill will tackle top priorities like taxes, energy and the border in one or two ways, as the party looks to flesh out its plans for the coming months. It doesn’t matter,” he said.
“We had a great meeting. There's great unity. Whether it's one bill or two bills, it's going to get done one way or the other,” President Trump said Wednesday night during a meeting with Senate Republicans. He later spoke to reporters.
“I think there's a lot of talk about two people, and I think there's a lot of talk about one person, but it doesn't matter. The end result is the same,” he continued, calling the meeting “really unifying.” He praised it as being extremely powerful.
“We will accomplish something,” he added.
But privately, senators said Trump expressed strong support for certain bills and often pushed them around during meetings.
Republicans are expected to take control of the Senate, House and White House, and aim to pass much of President Trump's agenda through an maneuver known as reconciliation. This would eliminate the need to bypass the Senate filibuster and win Democratic votes.
But there is an ongoing battle between Republican leaders in the Senate and House of Representatives over whether to split these priorities into two packages or try to pass them all at once.
Senate Republicans believe the two-bill process would result in a package with energy and border provisions within Trump's first two months in office, and that the party has made major political moves early in Trump's term. He claims he can win.
Across Capitol Hill, House leaders are saying that a narrow margin could mean just a bite at the apple, and that a large, comprehensive reconciliation bill may be the party's best hope for advancing its policies. .
Trump himself caused confusion earlier this week by first insisting on “one strong bill,” but then said a day later that he was open to two bills.
Trump also mentioned a number of other items Wednesday, telling reporters that he did not feel any “backlash” from Senate Republicans over his calls for military acquisitions of Greenland and the Panama Canal. He also compared Donald Trump Jr.'s recent visit to Greenland to a “festival of love.”
Denmark insists the Arctic nation is not for sale.
President Trump also said that although his relationship with California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) is contentious, he believes they can work together to help rebuild parts of the state ravaged by wildfires. He said there was.
“What happened was a tragedy and the governor did not do a good job. That being said, I was good friends with him during his time as governor. We worked very well together and will continue to work together. “I think we have to rebuild,” he said.
“But I don't think there's anything I've ever seen of what happened there,” he added.
