Several White House officials concur: President Trump’s frequent attacks on lawmakers and other people of color are a “bad move,” in the New York Times’ words.
According to people briefed on the discussion who spoke to the Times, several White House officials agreed during a recent meeting with senior staff that rhetoric wasn’t helpful, but said they didn’t know if they could or should try to stop the President. While there have been recent reports that the ramped up rhetoric is a new campaign strategy, these officials dismissed that notion, according to the Times, arguing the derision would end up hurting him with moderate voters.
Trump was privately complaining about Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) all weekend, three advisers told the Times. They said Trump’s main source of frustration with the congressman of color stemmed from the House Oversight Committee’s decision to subpoena White House officials for their use of personal accounts for work-related business. The probe is believed to specifically target Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner, both senior adviser who have admitted to using personal accounts for official business.
Read the Times’ full report here.