In the early days of Trump’s Presidency, there were many parts of his agenda I was especially critical of.
President Trump’s immigration reform, particularly the border wall and Muslim ban, were highly controversial and divisive ideas.
Even more divisive was the way the Trump Administration tried to reform healthcare. The bill was written behind closed doors, and almost passed in a completely partisan manner- something the Obama Administration previously did, which was just as divisive and problematic.
WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 06: U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) (L) makes a point to President Donald Trump in the Oval Office prior to his departure from the White House September 6, 2017 in Washington, DC. President Trump is traveling to North Dakota for a tax reform event with workers from the energy sector. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
However, the most disappointed I have been in Donald Trump, having known and worked for him in a commercial capacity many years ago, was with his initial remarks after Charlottesville. I thought that they were needlessly divisive, and in many ways, just wrong on demerits. I was especially disappointed in his reference to anti-Semites and White supremacists and seeking moral equivalence between those on the right and those on the left.
I say these things to make it clear that I have been critical of the Trump presidency, and will be critical once again if necessary.
But I think we are at a turning point in the Administration. The short-term deal on the debt ceiling between the Democrats and the Trump Administration is hopefully a precursor to a broader set of bipartisan initiatives on health care, immigration, and tax reform.
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As a centrist and somebody who believes in bipartisan, and sometimes nonpartisan, coalitions, I have to take my hat off to the President for beginning what I hope is a long-lasting effort to promote bipartisan governing.
In the early days of Trump’s Presidency, there were many parts of his agenda I was especially critical of.
President Trump’s immigration reform, particularly the border wall and Muslim ban, were highly controversial and divisive ideas.
Even more divisive was the way the Trump Administration tried to reform healthcare. The bill was written behind closed doors, and almost passed in a completely partisan manner- something the Obama Administration previously did, which was just as divisive and problematic.
WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 06: U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) (L) makes a point to President Donald Trump in the Oval Office prior to his departure from the White House September 6, 2017 in Washington, DC. President Trump is traveling to North Dakota for a tax reform event with workers from the energy sector. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
However, the most disappointed I have been in Donald Trump, having known and worked for him in a commercial capacity many years ago, was with his initial remarks after Charlottesville. I thought that they were needlessly divisive, and in many ways, just wrong on demerits. I was especially disappointed in his reference to anti-Semites and White supremacists and seeking moral equivalence between those on the right and those on the left.
I say these things to make it clear that I have been critical of the Trump presidency, and will be critical once again if necessary.
But I think we are at a turning point in the Administration. The short-term deal on the debt ceiling between the Democrats and the Trump Administration is hopefully a precursor to a broader set of bipartisan initiatives on health care, immigration, and tax reform.
