Trump tweets that GOP should stop wasting time on immigration

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo listens as President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House, Thursday, June 21, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo listens as President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House, Thursday, June 21, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Friday told his fellow Republicans in Congress to "stop wasting their time" on immigration legislation until after the November elections. GOP leaders said they'd press on anyway.

A little more than four months before the congressional elections, Trump also took a new shot at Democratic lawmakers, accusing them of spreading "phony stories of sadness and grief" about young immigrants separated from parents by his "zero tolerance" policy on illegal border crossings.

Trump's tweet on immigration legislation was the latest example of his abrupt reversals on issues, to the dismay of Republicans who crave his backing as a seal of approval for conservative voters. Just Tuesday, he met privately with GOP lawmakers and told them he supported the immigration legislation and would have their backs in November.

"Republicans should stop wasting their time on Immigration until after we elect more Senators and Congressmen/women in November," he tweeted. "Dems are just playing games, have no intention of doing anything to solve this decades old problem. We can pass great legislation after the Red Wave!"

On Capitol Hill on Friday, the mood was gloomy, particularly among the more centrist Republicans who have been pushing the party's immigration compromise. That bill would provide $25 billion for Trump's border wall and set new limits on family visas in favor of merit-based entry — but also create a path to citizenship for young "Dreamers." It seemed to be losing — rather than gaining — support ahead of rescheduled voting next week. Trump had publicly backed the bill earlier in the week.

"It's a horrifically chilling signal," said another retiring Republican, Rep. Mark Sanford of South Carolina, who recently lost his primary election after frequently criticizing Trump.

"What the president just signaled is, 'I'm not going to be there.' And therefore I think people will take the cue," Sanford said. "I think it makes immigration reform that much more unlikely."

Republican Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho said lawmakers who are counting on Trump to provide a presidential nudge should reconsider. "He changes so frequently that anybody who depends on that, I think, is in trouble," he said.

Others, particularly conservative Republicans who don't support the immigration deal, said Trump's actions should come as no surprise. He ran on disrupting Washington, aides said, and that's exactly what he's doing.

At a White House meeting this week with some two dozen wayward Republicans who needed nudging on the immigration bill, one lawmaker directly asked the president if he would reverse course on it the way he did when he threatened to veto the budget deal, according to two Republicans familiar with the private exchange.

The president reassured them that would not happen, they said.

"Everybody is sensitive to what the president is saying," said Rep. Paul Cook, R-Calif., who's undecided on the immigration measure. "I think it makes it very, very difficult. ... What he says influences a lot of members."

The assessment of Trump's changes isn't much different at the White House, where officials were caught off guard by his sudden shifts this week on immigration — including his reversal in signing an executive order to halt the separation of immigrant families at the border.

Officials portray a president who increasingly relies on his own counsel, ignoring their advice. They say they follow along with the rest of the country on Twitter to learn what their boss is doing.

"Republicans should stop wasting their time on Immigration until after we elect more Senators and Congressmen/women in November," Trump tweeted early Friday. "Dems are just playing games, have no intention of doing anything to solve this decades old problem. We can pass great legislation after the Red Wave!"

Officials said the president's haphazard actions seem to have less to do with campaign politics — or even his own standing with voters — than ego. He's frustrated with Congress and the media, particularly after the flop of the GOP's health care overhaul last year, which made him wary of fully embracing legislation before it passes.

"No one has more to lose in November than the president does when it comes to the majority in the House, because if this majority flips over to being a Democrat, there will be a big push for impeachment," said Rep. Bradley Byrne, R-Ala., who opposes the immigration bill.

House GOP leaders have made it clear they do not expect the immigration bill to pass but have little choice but to press forward and keep a promise made to moderate Republicans.

One leading architect of the bill, Rep. Carlos Curbelo of Florida, holds out hope that the bill can be revised to gain support.

"What we need from the president is for him to sign a good immigration bill, and he and his team have indicated that he will. That's all we need," Curbelo said.

Besides, said Rep. John Faso, R-N.Y., a supporter of the bill, maybe Trump will change his mind again: "Just wait a few hours, the tweet will be different."

Read Saturday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

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