After hosting a raucous town hall in Chico, Calif., on Monday, Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa sat down with the Los Angeles Times for a brief conversation about President Donald Trump and some of the most pressing issues in Washington.
LaMalfa, a fourth-generation rice farmer in his third term, represents one of the most Republican congressional districts in the state _ a place where Trump trounced Hillary Clinton in November. The district is vast, covering California's northwest corner along the Nevada and Oregon borders. Responses were edited for clarity and brevity.
Q: Do you still support President Trump? Does he still have support from Republicans in Congress?
A: It's going to be up and down because he's a fiery figure. Some people are going to want to distance themselves. I just focus on what policies we're making together. I think by and large with his appointments _ to the Supreme Court and Interior secretary and other positions _ those are people we can work with. (They) agree with the way I see the world and the way most of my colleagues see the world.
Q: What about all the mayhem at the White House, including the staff changes and the president's provocative tweets?
A: The press likes to cover the distractions rather than the policies. So you guys can do better on that. Every day the L.A. Times publishes another nasty about the president. You don't report on what we're actually doing. You report the fluff.
His tweeting is probably one of the components that the American people, in the way they were looking in who they wanted to vote for, say ... here's a guy who just comes and tells us what he's thinking, instead of having people homogenize it. He'll say what he thinks. People like that. If you look at my Twitter, I don't do it the same way. But if that's how he sees fit to do it and he can survive that way and get something done, then who am I to stop them?
Q: What's your reaction to allegations that the Trump campaign may have colluded with the Russians?
A: It's a bunch of crap. ... With all this time they've had to look at it, they still haven't found anything they could put a finger on.
Q: Will the Republican-led Congress pass a health care bill this year?
A: Guessing on Washington, D.C., is a fool's errand.
Q: The president said that the Affordable Care Act should be allowed to collapse. Do you agree?
A: That's frustration. I think we can all say that out of frustration. But when we go back to our corner and see that American people are going to be hurt by letting ACA stand as is, that's not a solution.
