One of the low points of Donald Trump’s closed-door meeting on Thursday with congressional Republicans came when he was asked a basic question about the U.S. Constitution from Michigan Congressman Tim Walberg.
The GOP lawmaker from Lenawee County asked whether Trump held a stringent interpretation of Article I of the Constitution – a reference to the “separation of powers” between the executive and legislative branches of government and the authority held solely by Congress.
Walberg
Trump’s response, according to those who were in the room, demonstrated that the GOP’s standardbearer lacks a basic understanding of the nation’s founding document.
“I think his response was, ‘I want to protect Article I, Article II, Article XII,’ going down the list. There is no Article XII,” Rep. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.) told reporters afterwards. “It was the normal stream of consciousness that’s long on hyperbole and short on facts.”
Other sources in the room confirmed the episode, according to the Washington Post. Sanford, who has previously said he’ll vote for Trump, added: “He may be loose on some facts, reckless on some, but there’s not malicious intent there.”
Trump then called himself “a constitutionalist” and warned that “we’re getting away from it,” according to detailed notes from a participant in the meeting, which were provided to the Post.
Trump may have confused the articles with the amendments – a mistake which would bring a failing grade on a basic middle school civics test – but the incident shines a light on another problem Trump presents for many loyal Republicans.
Beyond the fact that tea party-type Republicans want a president who is a strict “constitutionalist,” GOP leaders, including House Speaker Paul Ryan, continue to cite Trump’s strong support for a separation of powers as a core value of the Constitution. No doubt Walberg’s question to Trump was intended to address Republican lawmakers’ dismay with President Obama’s use of executive orders.
At the same time, James Hohmann of the Post points out that Trump has already flaunted his ideas about presidential power by saying he would (somehow) weaken the free press provisions in the First Amendment and nominate Supreme Court justices who favor prosecuting his election opponent, Hillary Clinton, for her careless use of classified emails.
Trump’s second closed-door “peacemaking” session of the day with lawmakers, this time with GOP senators, didn’t go any better. He berated three Republican – Jeff Flake of Arizona, Ben Sasse of Nebraska and Paul Kirk of Illinois – in typical Trumpian fashion. He reportedly called Kirk (who skipped the meeting) a “loser” and charged that criticisms of the presumptive nominee must mean that Sasse and Flake secretly support Clinton.
Trump vowed revenge at election time without realizing that Sasse and Flake are not up for re-election in November. According to one report, Sasse later issued a statement that said Trump’s bluster merely confirmed that the Clinton vs. Trump election will be a “Dumpster fire.”
Prior to the meeting with House members, some GOP lawmakers in the lower chamber, including Michigan’s Fred Upton, came up with some questionable reasons for skipping the session, citing doctor’s appointments or prior engagements.
Overall, this attempt at unifying the Republican Party went askew as evidenced by some media descriptions of the sessions: “acrid exchanges,” and “acidly contentious.”
Photos: Flickr.com, Walberg.house.gov
