Trump tweets tweak of Republicans 'who do little to protect' him

Staff and agencies
Updated

  • President: some GOP politicians ‘were carried over the line on my back’

  • Comms director had told CNN Trump would ‘dial back some tweets’

Donald Trump listens as Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan address party members at the White House in May.
Donald Trump listens as Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan address party members at the White House in May. Photograph: Carlos Barria/Reuters

President Donald Trump expressed his frustration with Republicans on Sunday, saying they “do very little to protect their president”.

In an afternoon tweet, Trump said this happened even with “some that were carried over the line on my back”.

The president’s tweet, sent following one about Russia and after a controversial volley of 10 such messages on Saturday, followed a suggestion by new communications director Anthony Scaramucci on CNN’s State of the Union that Trump “will probably dial back some of those tweets”.

The president did not make clear why he was upset. But pressure over FBI, special counsel and congressional investigations into links between Trump aides and Russia is increasing while Republicans in the Senate are struggling to come together on a bill to overhaul President Barack Obama’s healthcare law.

On Saturday, a bipartisan group of lawmakers announced a new package of sanctions against Russia, measures the Trump White House opposes.

In talk show appearances on Sunday, Scaramucci and press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders gave differing answers over whether Trump would sign the sanctions legislation.

Senior Republican and Democratic senators told Fox News Sunday they thought the sanctions would have a veto-proof majority.

On healthcare, Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell is making a last-gasp effort to resuscitate the legislation after Trump, who stated three positions on the bill within one week, finally insisted senators should not leave town for their August recess without passing reform.

Trump has had a complicated relationship with the Republican party since announcing his run for president in 2015. But GOP lawmakers have been generally supportive with him in the White House, even as his approval ratings have slipped to historic lows.

Speaking on Fox News Sunday, Scaramucci said he would “let the president be the president”, as he wanted to “help aid and abet his agenda”.

Asked on CBS’s Face the Nation about the president’s tweets about the Russia investigation, Scaramucci said: “If he thinks it’s helpful to him, let him do it.”