Trump blames ‘hostile media,’ Republicans for House setback
WASHINGTON — The morning after Democrats took back the House after eight years of Republican control, President Donald Trump sparred with the White House press corps and blamed “very hostile media coverage” for the setback.
During close to 90 minutes of verbal fireworks Wednesday, Trump also faulted the 40-plus House Republicans who chose not to run for re-election for making it harder for the GOP to overcome the ruling party’s midterm curse.
The president rattled off the names of a handful of GOP House members whom he contended lost after they distanced themselves from him.
“Mia Love gave me no love,” Trump quipped about a three-term African-American congresswoman from Utah who has been considered a rising GOP star. “And she lost. Too bad. Sorry about that, Mia.”
At the same time, Trump took credit for Republican gains in the Senate – at least two seats and possibly as many as five – despite his party’s midterm disadvantage.
“I did focus on the Senate,” said Trump, “and we had tremendous success in the Senate.”
Trump also said that his Make America Great rallies helped Republicans win tight races for governor in Georgia and Florida.
He did not mention the defeat of Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., despite Trump’s three recent trips to Nevada ahead of the election.
Trump said the GOP loss of control of the House “will probably be very good for me politically,” but he warned that he does not see his administration working well with Democrats if the Democratic House chooses to use its clout to investigate his finances and campaign.
Trump also said that he believes House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi “deserves” to be speaker. “She’s worked long and hard,” and earned it, Trump said. He added that he might be able to help get the embattled Democratic leader, who was not endorsed by about a third of non-incumbent Democrats, get the “necessary votes” she may need.
Speaking to the press from Capitol Hill, Pelosi responded: “I don’t think anybody deserves anything. It’s not about what you have done, it’s what you can do.”
While Trump had warned he would consider Democrats to be in a “warlike posture” if they target him for investigations — and said Republicans could play the same game — Pelosi did not back down. “We have a constitutional responsibility for oversight,” she said.
“I think it’s almost certain that Democrats overplay their hand,” former White House legislative director Marc Short told the Review-Journal. Pelosi and other top Democrats may prefer not to over-investigate Trump, “but the base of their party wants them to take action that’s beyond just hearings.”
Short believes that Democrats can work with Trump on issues like infrastructure, but a deal on immigration is much less likely. Even though “there are things that both sides want,” Short said, Trump “wants to get the border wall funded.”
On the day before the election, Trump said he had occasional regrets about his combative tone in Washington, but any such misgivings apparently evaporated before he walked into the stately East Room on Wednesday.
Asked about his Monday remarks, Trump said he “would love to have a very even, modest, boring tone,” but “you have to fight, all the time fight, because you’re being misrepresented by the media.”
When CNN reporter Jim Acosta asked Trump if he meant to “demonize” migrants, Trump countered, “Honestly I think you should let me run the country. You run CNN. And if you did it well, your ratings would be much better.”
At one point, Trump told Acosta, a frequent Trump foil, to “put down” the microphone. A White House intern tried to grab the microphone from Acosta’s hand, but he rebuffed her.
At the close of day, Press Secretary Sarah Sanders announced that the White House was suspending Acosta’s press pass for “placing his hands on a young woman just trying to do her job as White House intern.”
When PBS’ Yamiche Alcindor asked Trump if he emboldened white nationalists, Trump was offended. “That’s such a racist question,” Trump reacted.
“It isn’t good what the media is doing,” Trump said before leaving the room, adding “I do have the right to fight back because I’m treated very unfairly.”
Contract Debra J. Saunders at dsaunders@reviewjournal.com or 202-662-7391. Follow @DebraJSaunders on Twitter.
In his words
"As an example, of the 11 candidates we campaigned with during the last week, nine won last night. This vigorous campaigning stopped the blue wave that they talked about. I don't know if there ever was such a thing, but could've been. If we didn't do the campaign, probably there could've been. And the history really will see what a good job we did in the final couple of weeks in terms of getting some tremendous people over the finish line. They really are tremendous people, but many of them were not known. But they will be known."
— President Donald Trump
