Advertisement

Donald Trump escalates feud with Republican leaders blaming them for legislative 'mess'

Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump earlier this year  - AP
Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump earlier this year - AP

Donald Trump on Thursday intensified his attacks on Republican leaders in Congress, this time blaming them for leading the country closer to the economic calamity of a spending crisis and debt default.

Congress has until September 29 to raise limits on government borrowing or face financial turmoil.

This week Mr Trump has turned his fire repeatedly on his own team. Critics say is isolating himself from the officials he needs to pursue his agenda, while supporters insist it is all part of his election promise to shake up Washington.

In a series of tweets, the President singled out Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan, who lead Republicans in the Senate and the House respectively, accusing them of being responsible for a “mess”.

He said he offered them a chance to write the necessary legislation into a bill to help military veterans which he has since signed into law.

The criticism appeared in a pair of misspelled tweets before they were replaced.

The debt ceiling is at the top of a to-do list when Congress returns from summer break.

Without a rise in borrowing, the government would not have enough money to pay almost a quarter of its bills, according to an analysis by the Bipartisan Policy Centre, and the US could lose its AAA credit rating, provoking turmoil on financial markets.

Only a day earlier Mr McConnell – who has also been criticised by Mr Trump for his role in failed efforts to reform Obamacare - and the White House played down reports of a rift, insisting they were all working on a shared agenda.

Senior Republican strategists have warned that Mr Trump is alienating party figures that he needs to help drive his legislative agenda through Congress.

Mitch McConnell, Senate majority leader - Credit: Reuters
Mitch McConnell, Senate majority leader Credit: Reuters

However, his criticism is in line with election promises, according to Michael Johns, co-founder of the Tea Party movement.

Draining the swamp meant not just confronting the Democratic elite in Washington but overhauling the way the Republican leadership goes about its business, he said.

“For many years they have presented themselves too tentatively and without sufficient commitment to advancing their agenda and executing electoral promises,” he said.

“So the concerns that the president has shared are broadly held and shared by the vast majority of the 60 million plus Americas who voted for him.”