Trump breaks with GOP, sparking new tensions

[laserhaas]

Source: The HILL

President Trump is publicly breaking with congressional Republicans on trade and guns, causing tensions within the party at a time when lawmakers hope to be united ahead of the midterm elections.

Republican strategists and nonpartisan political experts say Trump appears to be looking beyond this fall's elections, when GOP control of Congress is at stake, to his own bid for a second term in 2020.

"Clearly he's targeting Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Those were, all four, key battleground states for him in the last election and the states he would have to win if he's going to win reelection," said Saul Anuzis, a political strategist and former chairman of the Michigan Republican Party.

"It's a very calculated, direct move with regards to the constituency he needs," Anuzis added. "Campaigns are no longer limited to months before the election but literally start the day after someone gets elected."

Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/376869-trump-breaks-with-gop-sparking-new-tensions?amp&__twitter_impression=true

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Funny thing is, everyone cracked up, after November 9, 2016 - when I remarked.....

The 2020 Presidential election begins, today, at noon.

[titaniumsalute]

1. How is breaking with the gun issue helping in any of those 4 states

I live in gun nut Ohio. I can't imagine his base will be happy if he breaks with the NRA. Dems ain't falling for it. Maybe a few suburban housewives who are independent?

And the tariff deal? If the market goes down and unemployment ticks upward before election day 2018 Congress is really toast for Republicans.

[Phoenix61]

2. He's not targeting anything

That would require a plan and with the attention span of a gnat, you know he doesn't have one. Everything he does is a reaction to something someone said to him or something he saw on tv. There is no original thought. If he was capable of that he wouldn't have bankrupted 6 companies and tanked his credit so badly he wound up laundering money for all and sundry.

[genxlib]

3. Go ahead and piss off the people keeping you out of jail

That is some 3D chess there

[groundloop]

4. Not to worry, he'll pivot (i.e. flip flop) again within 24 hours

45*s strategic planning is nothing more than throwing darts at all possible policy positions and seeing which ones stick.