Hours after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer blasted him for pulling out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, President Trump boasted of his “beautiful relationship” with the top Senate Democrat and other congressional leaders.
“We have a fantastic relationship with everybody at the table and it’s totally just a beautiful, beautiful relationship,” Trump told reporters as he sat at a table with Schumer, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Speaker Paul Ryan and Democratic Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, among others.
Trump and the leading lawmakers were joined by Vice President Pence and White House senior adviser Jared Kushner. A spokesman for the administration had previously said the purpose of the meeting was to discuss Trump’s 100-day agenda and forge an important bond with members of the legislative branch.
Schumer and Pelosi had both criticized Trump earlier Monday for taking executive action to remove the U.S. from the TPP trade agreement.
“If President Trump wants to send a shot across the bow that he’s getting serious on trade, addressing the currency issue would have been a lot more meaningful than a redundant announcement on TPP,” Schumer had said, implying Trump’s executive order was merely symbolic.
