Stimulus talks: Trump now claims he wants a bigger package than either Democrats or Republicans

[TiltsAreUnderrated]

https://twitter.com/JenniferJJacobs/status/1314622651370012673
He's desperate enough to pitch left to win reelection. Time to drive a wedge between his base and downbillot Republicans, Pelosi (alternatively, McConnell passes an unironically good stimulus bill but we all know that's not happening).

[Ljube]

He's always been left on these issues. It's the Senate Republicans who are against a bigger stimulus package.

[TiltsAreUnderrated]

He's always been left on these issues. It's the Senate Republicans who are against a bigger stimulus package.

His instincts are populist but he has been easily led away from them on most issues (trade being the biggest exception) by the insiders in his administration. If he feels sufficiently betrayed by them, though, Democrats could score some big wins.

[Crumpets]

Trump has always wanted a bigger package.

[Horus]

If he plays this right, putting out a "look at these DC insiders trying to keep you from your hard earned money, I wanna give you more than any of them" message it could really help him. No wonder he's shifted far left here, he has to make a big play and the stimulus is his last stand. If he can't get a it through in the next couple of weeks he's done. This is why he doesn't want to debate, a stimulus deal would be much better press than any debate

[Torrain]

He's always been left on these issues. It's the Senate Republicans who are against a bigger stimulus package.

And this is why there are no disadvantages to Pelosi playing hardball here.

She passes a stimulus, and McConnell either lets her get her way, or he kills a stimulus bill with days to go before the election.

[Estrella]

T R I A N G U L A T I O N

[The Dowager Mod]

Trump wouldn't know about bigger packages.

[TiltsAreUnderrated]

The Senate GOP are now openly resisting the White House's moves. They have insisted a $2bn package will hurt their chances of reelection:

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/10/10/senate-republicans-coronavirus-deal-428503

If Congressional Democrats want a truly historic win, the best thing they could at this point is to keep pushing Trump down this path and make sure every GOP deference to zombie Reaganism over Trump gets packaged into ads crafted to wreak havoc downballot.

[Fuzzy Bear]

Trump wouldn't know about bigger packages.

I suppose this is a personal attack for the ages.

[Santander]

Trump wouldn't know about bigger packages.

I suppose this is a personal attack for the ages.

Oh please. If someone made a dick joke about Anthony Weiner, there wouldn't be any Democrats feigning outrage.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

He's always been left on these issues. It's the Senate Republicans who are against a bigger stimulus package.

His instincts are populist but he has been easily led away from them on most issues (trade being the biggest exception) by the insiders in his administration. If he feels sufficiently betrayed by them, though, Democrats could score some big wins.

To the point that Averroes made, he is far easier to be led away precisely because he is lazy, disengaged, self-serving and hands-off when it comes to the down and ditty work of actually passing and agenda. It is why we are sitting here with an incumbent President facing a history defeat in the first place.

[TiltsAreUnderrated]

He's always been left on these issues. It's the Senate Republicans who are against a bigger stimulus package.

His instincts are populist but he has been easily led away from them on most issues (trade being the biggest exception) by the insiders in his administration. If he feels sufficiently betrayed by them, though, Democrats could score some big wins.

To the point that Averroes made, he is far easier to be led away precisely because he is lazy, disengaged, self-serving and hands-off when it comes to the down and ditty work of actually passing and agenda. It is why we are sitting here with an incumbent President facing a history defeat in the first place.

Far be it from me to argue he's represented a proper break (in government) with Republican economic orthodoxy, but it's not unreasonable to expect he might lean more heavily into populism with the prospect of imminent defeat looming closer every day. Congressional Democrats offering him a legislative win are probably going to sound increasingly tempting as the handlers he's relied on so far continue to visibly fail him (electorally, that is).

I think he can be led to believe that a generous stimulus bill would save him and Trump getting behind one would mean it'd either pass (fulfilling a short-term but important political goal) or downballot Republicans would further alienate important parts of their base.