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| McConnell and Trump meet for lunch after Bannon calls for Republican 'war' | McConnell and Trump meet for lunch after Bannon calls for Republican 'war' |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Mitch McConnell was set to meet Donald Trump for lunch on Monday, two days after the president’s former chief strategist called for the metaphorical assassination of the Senate majority leader. | Mitch McConnell was set to meet Donald Trump for lunch on Monday, two days after the president’s former chief strategist called for the metaphorical assassination of the Senate majority leader. |
| Speaking at the Values Voter Summit in Washington on Saturday, Steve Bannon invoked the death of Julius Caesar and called for “a season of war against [the] GOP establishment”. | Speaking at the Values Voter Summit in Washington on Saturday, Steve Bannon invoked the death of Julius Caesar and called for “a season of war against [the] GOP establishment”. |
| On Monday morning, before a scheduled cabinet meeting, Trump busied himself on Twitter, accusing Democrats of obstructing his tax plan and bragging about economic growth. He also accused the Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, of hypocrisy over the Iran nuclear deal. | On Monday morning, before a scheduled cabinet meeting, Trump busied himself on Twitter, accusing Democrats of obstructing his tax plan and bragging about economic growth. He also accused the Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, of hypocrisy over the Iran nuclear deal. |
| Schumer voted against the deal in 2015 but has since urged Congress to strengthen it. He responded to Trump’s tweets on taxes and the economy. | Schumer voted against the deal in 2015 but has since urged Congress to strengthen it. He responded to Trump’s tweets on taxes and the economy. |
| “This deliberate manipulation of #s & facts could lead to messing up the good economy inherited from @POTUS44 & hurting the middle class,” Schumer wrote. | “This deliberate manipulation of #s & facts could lead to messing up the good economy inherited from @POTUS44 & hurting the middle class,” Schumer wrote. |
| Trump also took a shot at Hillary Clinton, saying he wished she would run for the presidency again in 2020. Clinton has said repeatedly she does not intend to run for any office. | Trump also took a shot at Hillary Clinton, saying he wished she would run for the presidency again in 2020. Clinton has said repeatedly she does not intend to run for any office. |
| I was recently asked if Crooked Hillary Clinton is going to run in 2020? My answer was, "I hope so!" | I was recently asked if Crooked Hillary Clinton is going to run in 2020? My answer was, "I hope so!" |
| The White House also released details about Trump’s forthcoming visit to Asia and the Pacific. From 3 to 14 November, the president will travel to Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam, the Philippines and Hawaii. Officials said the tour would “strengthen the international resolve to confront the North Korean threat and ensure the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean peninsula”. | The White House also released details about Trump’s forthcoming visit to Asia and the Pacific. From 3 to 14 November, the president will travel to Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam, the Philippines and Hawaii. Officials said the tour would “strengthen the international resolve to confront the North Korean threat and ensure the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean peninsula”. |
| Nonetheless, while the president was looking to 2020 and the international stage, an intra-party war continued to brew. | Nonetheless, while the president was looking to 2020 and the international stage, an intra-party war continued to brew. |
| On Saturday Bannon, who left the White House in August and returned to the hard-right Breitbart News website, said: “Up on Capitol Hill it’s like the Ides of March. The only question – and this is just an analogy or metaphor, or whatever you want to call it – they’re just looking to find out who’s going to be Brutus to [McConnell’s] Julius Caesar.” | On Saturday Bannon, who left the White House in August and returned to the hard-right Breitbart News website, said: “Up on Capitol Hill it’s like the Ides of March. The only question – and this is just an analogy or metaphor, or whatever you want to call it – they’re just looking to find out who’s going to be Brutus to [McConnell’s] Julius Caesar.” |
| Julius Caesar was stabbed to death by Brutus and other conspirators on 15 March in 44BC, on the steps of the Senate in Rome. Bannon’s remarks were lent a dash of irony when considered in light of rightwing protests this summer over a Shakespeare in the Park production of the play Julius Caesar, in which the assassinated emperor was made to resemble Trump. | Julius Caesar was stabbed to death by Brutus and other conspirators on 15 March in 44BC, on the steps of the Senate in Rome. Bannon’s remarks were lent a dash of irony when considered in light of rightwing protests this summer over a Shakespeare in the Park production of the play Julius Caesar, in which the assassinated emperor was made to resemble Trump. |
| More prosaically, Bannon is working to mount primary challenges against establishment figures including McConnell. Trump remains close to Bannon and has blamed McConnell for a stalled legislative agenda that includes repeated failures to repeal and replace Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act. Vice-President Mike Pence – reportedly a mediator in Trump’s recent disputes with the secretary of state, Rex Tillerson – was also scheduled to attend the lunch on Monday. | More prosaically, Bannon is working to mount primary challenges against establishment figures including McConnell. Trump remains close to Bannon and has blamed McConnell for a stalled legislative agenda that includes repeated failures to repeal and replace Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act. Vice-President Mike Pence – reportedly a mediator in Trump’s recent disputes with the secretary of state, Rex Tillerson – was also scheduled to attend the lunch on Monday. |
| At Monday’s cabinet meeting, Trump called Bannon a friend and said he “can understand where [he’s] coming from”. Trump said he had “great relations” with many senators, but said “they are not getting the job done”. | |
| “There are some Republicans that, frankly, should be ashamed of themselves,” he added, though he said “most of them are really, really great people.” | |
| On Sunday Lindsey Graham, a senator from South Carolina who co-sponsored one of the failed healthcare bills, told CBS: “Mitch McConnell’s not our problem. Our problem is that we promised to repeal and replace Obamacare, and we failed. We promised to cut taxes and we have yet to do it. | |
| “If we’re successful, Mitch McConnell’s fine. If we’re not, we’re all in trouble. We lose our majority and I think President Trump will not get re-elected.” | |
| Susan Collins, a Maine moderate who cast pivotal votes against the Senate healthcare bills, told ABC the electorate “don’t want this hyper-partisanship. They want us to work together. And they want us to get things done. | Susan Collins, a Maine moderate who cast pivotal votes against the Senate healthcare bills, told ABC the electorate “don’t want this hyper-partisanship. They want us to work together. And they want us to get things done. |
| “Mitch McConnell is the Senate majority leader. The president needs him. I’m glad they’re working together on tax reform and a lot of other issues. And I’m glad they’re meeting this week.” | “Mitch McConnell is the Senate majority leader. The president needs him. I’m glad they’re working together on tax reform and a lot of other issues. And I’m glad they’re meeting this week.” |
| This summer, McConnell responded to Trump’s Twitter attacks by saying: “A lot of people look at all that and find it frustrating, messy. Well, welcome to the democratic process. That’s the way it is in our country.” | |
| Such words would not find favour with the president’s support base, which Bannon is addressing and which has responded eagerly to Trump’s talk of “draining the swamp” of Washington. | Such words would not find favour with the president’s support base, which Bannon is addressing and which has responded eagerly to Trump’s talk of “draining the swamp” of Washington. |
| In September, Trump angered that base by cutting a deal with Democrats on raising the debt limit and keeping the government running. He has talked about other deals, though his list of demands outraged Democrats who had sensed an opening on the status of Dreamers, young undocumented migrants brought to the US as children whose protection from deportation has been rescinded by Trump. | |
| Hard-right conservatives wrote in a letter last week during a Senate break that McConnell and his leadership team should step aside. The Senate recess also drew criticism from the White House. | Hard-right conservatives wrote in a letter last week during a Senate break that McConnell and his leadership team should step aside. The Senate recess also drew criticism from the White House. |
| “They’re on another vacation right now,” the press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, said. “I think that we would all be a lot better off if the Senate would stop taking vacations and start staying here until we actually get some real things accomplished.” | “They’re on another vacation right now,” the press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, said. “I think that we would all be a lot better off if the Senate would stop taking vacations and start staying here until we actually get some real things accomplished.” |
| Trump spent the weekend at the White House but played golf at his course in Virginia both days. Graham played with him on Saturday and Rand Paul, the other senator from Kentucky, teed off with the president on Sunday. | Trump spent the weekend at the White House but played golf at his course in Virginia both days. Graham played with him on Saturday and Rand Paul, the other senator from Kentucky, teed off with the president on Sunday. |
| The split between the establishment and insurgents has already been tested at the ballot box. A McConnell-backed political committee spent millions supporting the Alabama senator Luther Strange, who was endorsed by Trump but lost a primary to Roy Moore, who was endorsed by Bannon. | The split between the establishment and insurgents has already been tested at the ballot box. A McConnell-backed political committee spent millions supporting the Alabama senator Luther Strange, who was endorsed by Trump but lost a primary to Roy Moore, who was endorsed by Bannon. |
| Moore is a former judge twice removed from his state’s supreme court. Among many controversial acts and statements he has defied federal court orders, described Islam as a false religion and called homosexuality evil. | Moore is a former judge twice removed from his state’s supreme court. Among many controversial acts and statements he has defied federal court orders, described Islam as a false religion and called homosexuality evil. |
| Some analysts say such outsider challengers could defeat incumbents in primaries or leave them damaged before the midterm elections. Some Democrats think that thanks to the selection of Moore, they may even have a chance of taking a Senate seat in deep-red Alabama. | Some analysts say such outsider challengers could defeat incumbents in primaries or leave them damaged before the midterm elections. Some Democrats think that thanks to the selection of Moore, they may even have a chance of taking a Senate seat in deep-red Alabama. |