Interview: President Donald Trump talks reconciliation, health care, Israel hostage negotiations, and more with the Washington Reporter
THE LOWDOWN
President Donald J. Trump did a phone interview with the Washington Reporter on the 47th day of his second administration.
The President told the Reporter’s Matthew Foldi he still favors “one big, beautiful bill” when it comes to reconciliation.
President Trump said the Israeli hostage negotiations are “a very hard deal to take.”
President Trump noted that the man sitting in the Oval Office over the past four years “didn’t do anything” besides “hurt our country.”
On President Donald Trump’s 47th day in office, the Washington Reporter spoke with him about his thoughts on the continuing resolution, Capitol Hill’s work on pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reform, Israel, and accountability for President Joe Biden’s failed withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Hours before the interview, Trump’s official White House account shared the Reporter’s exclusive story about how the Gold Star families in the Abbey Gate Coalition praised the President for extraditing the terrorist “monster” who was the mastermind behind the suicide attack that killed their loved ones.
President Trump’s interview comes fresh off his highly rated Golden Address that saw him masterfully use his patented “Weave” to captivate the crowd and make history with his address.
President Trump previously told the Reporter, “I like you guys.”
Here’s what President Trump told the Reporter about some of the top issues of the day:
Reconciliation:
“I favor one big, beautiful bill, and I think the CR is good because it gives us a lot of time to think about it; the CR we favor, ideally one big beautiful bill.”
Context: Trump wants to push for extending his 2017 tax cuts and major immigration reform, something he campaigned on. The House and Senate are working out their differences to get this done.
Pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reform:
President Trump sounded optimistic on the prospects of getting it done before the end of the year, saying “I know [the Senate] is looking at it very very strongly.”
Context: President Trump weighed in on the PBM reform debate last December, promising to “knock out the middleman” to bring down drug costs. Just this week the Senate introduced last year's healthcare package which includes PBM reform along with cancer research.
Israel:
“I think it’s a very hard deal to take, because I was with the hostages the other day, and I think it’s a very very hard deal to take, whether it stands or not, it’s a different question, but it’s very hard for our side to take it, you understand that.”
Context: President Trump was able to secure a hostage deal after 13 months of negotiations between the United States, Israel, Hamas, Qatar, and Egypt. Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff played an instrumental role. This has led to hostages being released.
Afghanistan accountability:
“No [the Biden administration had done nothing to help with the extradition of the terrorist mastermind], they didn’t do anything for four years other than hurt our country.”
Context: In August of 2021 Afghanistan fell to the Taliban, one of the major foreign policy blunders of the Biden administration. President Trump campaigned on holding those responsible for the failure accountable.
