After a rare extended period in which President Donald Trump stayed on message ahead of the Republican push to overhaul America’s tax system, Senate Majority Mitch McConnell says he’s “warming up to the tweets.”
Mr McConnell made the comments at a Washington news conference after the tax vote, which marked the first major legislative victory for Republicans in the year since Mr Trump became president.
“Regarding the President’s tweeting habits, I haven’t been a fan until this week,” Mr McConnell said, when asked about how his relationship with the President has evolved. “I’m warming up to the tweets.”
Those tweets have put Mr McConnell in the cross-hairs before. The President was highly critical of his fellow Republican over the summer when Congressional Republicans failed to repeal and replace Obamacare, also known as the Affordable Care Act. At the time, he demanded that Mr McConnell work on both the healthcare bill and the tax bill.
The relationship between the two further soured in August, when Mr McConnell said that Mr Trump had “excessive expectations” for the speed with which Congress can pass major legislation.
“I don’t think so,” Mr Trump tweeted in response. “After 7 years of hearing Repeal & Replace, why not done?”
The public acrimony between the two led some to wonder if it would be possible for a fractious Republican hold on Congress could reconcile its differences to pass tax reforms before the end of the year.
The legislation was passed this week, after Congress extended its legislative period to ensure that the government remained open through the holidays.
