‘Why Are They Always So Loyal?’ Trump Was Convinced That Dems Would Cave
President Donald Trump saw his convictions about loyalty upended over the shutdown, harboring shock that Democrats didn’t come over to his side and resentment that he couldn’t keep his own house in order.
According to a Friday Washington Post report, Trump had been operating under the belief that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) would be unable to keep her caucus in line as the shutdown progressed.
“Why are they always so loyal?” he reportedly complained in a staff meeting.
Trump also miscalculated the will of his own party, and voiced belated frustration with former House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) for having “screwed him” by not securing wall funding when Republicans controlled all branches before he’d “gone fishing.”
Ultimately, the defection of six Republican senators who voted for the Democratic funding bill put Trump over the edge.
Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) dropped the bomb that his members were getting unruly; Trump eventually agreed that the shutdown had to end.