“I looked very seriously at the veto,” Trump told reporters. During his remarks at the White House, Trump sought to distance himself from a bill unpopular with his base but that his aides helped craft and the GOP-led Congress passed. At times he went so far as to portray himself as being almost helpless and having little choice but to accept the spending package. On Friday morning, he also heard from Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.), who said that he should not sign the spending package. McConnell (R-Ky.) called Chief of Staff John F. Kelly, two White House aides said, to keep tabs on the situation.

Source: Washington Post March 23, 2018 23:30 UTC