President Trump said he could “very easily” go six months without insulting Democrats if that’s what it took to strike deals with the new Congress — even as he lobbed another jab at them during the same interview.
Trump made the comments in a “60 Minutes” interview — his first sit-down since Democrats took control of both the House and Senate in the midterms. The full interview is set to air Sunday, after the show broadcast a preview Friday.
He was asked about conciliatory comments from US Sen.-elect James Talarico of Texas, who defeated Trump-backed state Attorney General Ken Paxton in a major Upper Chamber pickup.
Trump said Talarico had said “very nice things” when interviewer Ross Douthat brought up the Democrat’s comments about working with the administration on immigration.
But when Douthat asked Trump about the nickname he had used for Talarico during the campaign — “Talefreako” — the president didn’t exactly let bygones be bygones.
“Yeah, I did,” Trump said, before suggesting he could work with Democrats without insulting them.
“Yeah, I do. I could. I also call many of them ‘Dumocrats,’” Trump added.
“If it took six months of not insulting the Democrats to get a deal done, do you think you could do it?” Douthat pressed him.
“Very easily,” Trump responded.
Talarico, 37, said after his blowout win he would “absolutely” work with Trump — though his comments on immigration suggest the two could have very different ideas about what a deal should look like.
He told Fox News on Wednesday: “I think trying to pass comprehensive immigration reform that includes border security … give the president credit where credit is due. He has done a better job than the previous administration in securing our border.”
But in an interview with CNN the same day, Talarico criticized the administration’s immigration enforcement tactics.
“We have masked men in unmarked vehicles kidnapping people off our street here in the state of Texas,” he said. “We have federal agents murdering our neighbors in cold blood … and so we have to take action to protect our neighbors across this state. I will work with anyone and everyone to make that possible.”
Talarico has called for “comprehensive immigration reform” that includes border security and legal pathways to citizenship, describing himself as “a border security Democrat.”
Trump also pointed to conciliatory remarks from Dr. Annie Andrews, who defeated his hand-picked candidate, Sen. Darline Graham, in South Carolina.
Andrews, 46, told Fox News: “I’m willing to work with President Trump to secure the border, to stop these Medicaid cuts, to find a way out of this war. Fighting the administration is not going to lower gas prices and grocery prices.”
The Senate newcomer said she was focused on “delivering results” and “not a retribution tour.”
