‘Trump betrays everyone’: The president has a long record as an unpredictable ally

The following article by Ashley Parker and Philip Rucker was posted on the Washington Post website September 9, 2017:

Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), left, makes a point to President Trump in the Oval Office on Wednesday. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

President Trump prepared for the pivotal meeting with congressional leaders by huddling with his senior team — his chief of staff, his legislative director and the heads of Treasury and the Office of Management and Budget — to game out various scenarios on how to fund the government, raise the debt ceiling and provide Hurricane Harvey relief.

But one option they never considered was the one the president ultimately chose: cutting a deal with Democratic lawmakers, to the shock and ire of his own party.

In agreeing to tie Harvey aid to a three-month extension of the debt ceiling and government funding, Trump burned the people who are ostensibly his allies. The president was an unpredictable — and, some would say, untrustworthy — negotiating partner with not only congressional Republicans but also with his Cabinet members and top aides. Trump saw a deal that he thought was good for him — and he seized it. Continue reading “‘Trump betrays everyone’: The president has a long record as an unpredictable ally”