Former President Donald Trump's contradictory position on whether to use the debt ceiling as a "negotiating wedge" depending on if he is in the White House or out of office is not absurd but a sign of his success as a negotiator, Rep. Byron Donalds told NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday.
The Florida Republican explained to the show's host, Chuck Todd, that Trump is "always negotiating. That's what he does. And it's actually one of the reasons why so many deals for our country worked out to our benefit, as compared to his predecessors, both Republican and Democrat, because he's always negotiating."
Todd had expressed what he considered an absurd stance that Trump could say, "I can't imagine anybody ever even thinking of using the debt ceiling as a negotiating wedge" when he was president and now stating that his fellow Republicans should do just that now that he is not in office.
Donalds said that, in any case, "we're not really sure what deal's even on the table. The White House is not serious. They came up with a proposal to spend another $30 billion more than they already wanted to spend. They're not taking a look at the reality of where our country is fiscally."
The congressman insisted that this means "we're in a situation right now where the only plan in Washington has been passed by the House of Representatives. It's the only plan. Joe Biden's not serious at the negotiating table."
This comes as Biden and House Republicans have been stuck in negotiations on the issue as the White House insists on a clean debt limit increase and GOP lawmakers demand that there be spending cuts, according to The Hill.
The Treasury has warned that the United States could default on its bills as soon as June 1, which would severely harm the national economy.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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