Donald Trump’s inability to make progress on an infrastructure bill while he was in The White House was fodder for endless jokes. But even out of office, the former president is trying to torpedo a bipartisan effort to invest in the country’s roads, bridges, and transportation systems.

“Senate Republicans are being absolutely savaged by Democrats on the so-called ‘bipartisan’ infrastructure bill,” Trump said in one of a flurry of Monday statements.

Donald Trump is out with a new statement telling Republicans: “Don’t do the infrastructure deal.” He does not identify anything in it that he opposes, nor does he explain what GOP lawmakers should ask for or reject, only that they should not look like “weak fools and losers.”

— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) July 26, 2021

He claimed that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was so desperate to seem bipartisan, “that he is agreeing to almost anything.” Trump insisted that Republicans should wait until after the 2022 midterms to tackle infrastructure. “Republicans, don’t let the Radical Left play you for weak fools and losers!” he warned.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Trump is “rooting for our entire political system to fail” while Democrats are “rooting for a deal.”

Schumer added that Republicans shouldn’t “follow the absurd demands of a disgraced former president”

In a separate statement, Trump said, “Who are these RINO Republicans that are so dedicated to giving the Radical Left Democrats a big and beautiful win on Infrastructure? Republican voters will never forget their name, nor will the people of our Country!”

Republican Sens. Rob Portman of Ohio, Mitt Romney of Utah, and Susan Collins of Maine are among the Republicans working with the Biden White House on an infrastructure compromise.

It is, of course, tempting to dismiss the bombast of a former politician known for lying. But Trump is still the most influential voice in GOP circles and his comments come at a precarious time for the fledgling infrastructure negotiations.

The bipartisan infrastructure negotiations have entered their darkest phase in more than a month, with the parties openly feuding over policy and Trump urging Republicans to drop the effort altogether https://t.co/e5ZNhKLgTj

— POLITICO (@politico) July 26, 2021

The Associated Press reports:

Despite weeks of closed-door discussions, senators from the bipartisan group blew past a Monday deadline set for agreement on the nearly $1 trillion package. Instead they hit serious roadblocks over was how much would be spent on public transit and water infrastructure and whether the new spending on roads, bridges, broadband and other projects would be required to meet federal wage requirements for workers. They’re also at odds over drawing on COVID-19 funds to help pay for it.

But Portman, the lead GOP negotiator, said “this is heading in the right direction.” Schumer has pledged to pass a bipartisan bill by the August recess.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said she is “confident” a deal can be made.