Analysis: A rancorous first glimpse of new Trump-Dem dynamic
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s first encounter with newly empowered congressional Democrats produced a striking Oval Office display that revealed how ill-prepared he is for the biggest political challenge of his presidency.
There was Trump, sitting between two seasoned legislators, repeating his demands for border wall funds, while House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer first politely, then forcefully, told him no, with the force of their combined 60-plus years in Congress.
Tuesday’s televised bout offered a tantalizing preview of divided government in Trump’s Washington. The bravado and playground taunts that are the president’s signature weapons of choice ran squarely up against the Democratic resistance, subpoenas and gridlock of a soon-to-be empowered Congress. After two years of unified Republican control in Washington, Trump learned the hard way that as challenging as his first two years in office have been, the next will be even more trying.
It marked the beginning of what may be an early comeuppance after Trump’s post-election spin that Democratic control of the House would turn out to be smoother for him than having a slim GOP majority. When Trump invited reporters and cameras into his private meeting with Pelosi and Schumer, Democrats played on his turf: Taunting, goading and lecturing the president, Pelosi and Schumer made clear they intend to use their seats at the table to give the president a taste of what he’s been serving since taking office.