A hard-fought compromise on a trillion dollar infrastructure bill is being praised as a signal that bipartisanship is not dead. “President [Joe Biden] hopes it will validate the parable of his inaugural address — that “politics need not be a raging fire destroying everything in its path,” writes a CNN analyst.
But there’s one prominent figure who is raging at the deal: Donald Trump.
“Under the weak leadership of Mitch McConnell, Senate Republicans continue to lose,” the former president said in a statement. “He lost Arizona, he lost Georgia, he ignored Election Fraud and he doesn’t fight.”
On Wednesday, seventeen Republicans voted to advance the bill in the Senate, including McConnell, the Minority Leader from Kentucky.
Trump added that the bipartisan deal “makes the Republicans look weak, foolish, and dumb. It shouldn’t be done.”
The New York Times explains:
The deal still faces several obstacles to becoming law, including being turned into formal legislative text and clearing final votes in the closely divided Senate and House. But the vote was a victory for [Joe Biden] who has long promised to break through the partisan gridlock gripping Congress and accomplish big things supported by members of both political parties.
In a statement, Biden said, “Neither side got everything they wanted in this deal. But that’s what it means to compromise and forge consensus — the heart of democracy. As the deal goes to the entire Senate, there is still plenty of work ahead to bring this home. There will be disagreements to resolve and more compromise to forge along the way.”
Trump has spent weeks trying to sabotage the deal. His inability to tackle infrastructure during his term in office was so bumbling, that it became a punchline. Still, Republicans were eager for his support. From Politico:
..the threat that Trump may persuade Republicans to abandon talks has been profound enough that [Ohio Senator Rob] Portman reportedly asked Trump to get behind the deal. The senator, who is serving as the primary GOP negotiator with the White House, reminded the former president that the new package is on par with what he hoped to get done while in the White House, according to the report. A spokesperson for Trump said they weren’t aware of any conversations but said Portman would “not have much luck.”
Trump is reportedly bitter that McConnell is supporting Biden’s infrastructure plan even though he slow walked Trump’s. Over the weekend, Trump called McConnell an “old crow.”
“Actually, it’s quite an honor,” McConnell told a CNN reporter when asked about the nickname. “Old Crow is Henry Clay’s favorite bourbon.”
The GOP is beholden to Trump because he’s still influential among its base of voters. He’s threatened to help primary opponents of Republicans who support the infrastructure package, saying on Wednesday “Don’t do it Republicans—Patriots will never forget! If this deal happens, lots of primaries will be coming your way!”
But Trump’s kingmaker status took a hit on Tuesday, when a candidate he endorsed for Congress lost a special election in Texas to an underdog.
Perhaps Republicans are finally learning to tune out the loser of the 2020 election.
“I’ve read the statements [on the infrastructure deal],” said Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.). “But it’s a little short on specificity.”
