President Donald Trump vowed to fight against Democrats and members of his own party in the upcoming 2018 midterm elections.
In a tweet on Thursday morning, the president departed from past platitudes about party unity and bipartisan outreach and instead retreated to his own corner, ready for battle.
Asked if this tweet meant the president was advocating for primary challenges to members of his own party's House Freedom Caucus, spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders told NBC News "the tweet speaks for itself."
Trump's comment comes after his administration's defeat on a Republican attempt to overhaul healthcare last week. Despite repeated attempts to cajole House Freedom Caucus members to support the White House-backed cause to repeal and replace Obamacare, the bill never made it to a vote after it was clear it would fail on the floor.
"Some people you can take at their word," he said at the time.
Not only is it unusual for a president to take on his own party, but it runs counter to a new narrative from the White House that it's seeking bipartisan support on future legislative efforts.
Trump shared a rare evening of bipartisanship with senators and their wives Tuesday evening at the White House, with Spicer telling reporters the president looked forward to the opportunity to "speak with some of the senators about the places where they can come together and make this country better."
Spicer specifically mentioned outreach to Democrats on confirming Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch.
But Spicer also invited Democrats to join the administration as they plan tax reform and infrastructure overhauls. "We'd love to have as much support as possible," he said Tuesday briefing the press.
During the campaign season, Trump bucked establishment Republicans and embraced a roiling style of campaigning that conflicted with Republicans, like House Speaker Paul Ryan. That style matches more closely with House Freedom Caucus members who now find themselves at odds with the sitting Republican president.
Less than one week ago, in the wake of defeat on healthcare, Trump called Freedom Caucus members "friends of mine" while expressing disappointment and surprise that the bill couldn't pass.
Rep. Justin Amash, R-Michigan, tweeted on Thursday that the president had been overtaken by the very swamp he once campaigned on draining.
Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Florida, told MSNBC the tweet was "unfortunate" and said "we're not fighting the president, we're trying to honor what we ran on. 100 percent repeal of the Affordable Care Act. That's what we're going to stick to."
Comments