Democratic Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island and Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine were captured by an open microphone talking about Trump. Sen. Reed called Trump crazy, and Sen. Collins expressed her worry for the country.
Audio:
MALE SENATOR on FARENTHOLD: "You could beat the shit out of him."
SUSAN COLLINS: "He's huge … he's so unattractive, it's unbelievable." pic.twitter.com/hyw6fKU15E
To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.
— JM Rieger (@RiegerReport) July 25, 2017
Transcript via Philip Bump of The Washington Post:
“I swear, [the Office of Management and Budget] just went through and whenever there was ‘grant,’ they just X it out,†Collins says. “With no measurement, no thinking about it, no metrics, no nothing. It’s just incredibly irresponsible.â€
“Yes,†Reed replies. “I think — I think he’s crazy,†apparently referring to the president. “I mean, I don’t say that lightly and as a kind of a goofy guy.â€
“I’m worried,†Collins replies.
“Oof,†Reed continues. “You know, this thing — if we don’t get a budget deal, we’re going to be paralyzed.â€
“I know,†Collins replies.
The tape is bipartisan consensus that President Donald Trump is crazy, and that his behavior is worrying members of his own party. Republican Senators are willing to let Trump escalate until they get their agenda passed. In the House, Speaker Ryan has been willing to overlook everything that Trump says and does because he is only focused on getting his agenda passed.
Congress knows that Trump is crazy. It is all a matter now of their willingness to act before it is too late.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
