WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump took aim at the conservatives of the House Freedom Caucus on Thursday, suggesting that Republicans should "fight them" in the 2018 midterm elections if the caucus members do not back his agenda.
"The Freedom Caucus will hurt the entire Republican agenda if they don't get on the team, & fast," Trump said Thursday morning on Twitter, escalating a fight that began when the conservatives from the caucus blocked his health care law repeal last Friday.
"We must fight them, & Dems, in 2018!" Trump wrote, apparently making good on suggestions that he would support Republican challengers of GOP lawmakers who oppose him, a stance advocated by his chief strategist, Steve Bannon.
Bannon, who has counseled taking a tough tone with Republican lawmakers who don't fall in line, has instructed his staff to more closely monitor the president's Twitter messages to use them as leverage in negotiations.
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Minutes after Trump's post, his Republican critics took to Twitter to respond: "it's a swamp not a hot tub. We both came here to drain it. #SwampCare polls 17%. Sad!" wrote Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who often sides with the caucus on votes.
"It didn't take long for the swamp to drain @realDonaldTrump," said Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan, a member of the group who has emerged as one of Trump's most vocal Republican critics. "No shame, Mr. President. Almost everyone succumbs to the D.C. Establishment."
Michael Flynn Jr., a conservative activist and son of Trump's former national security adviser, went even further. "Why is @realDonaldTrump siding w/ estab Repubs (which we know r closet Dems) and looney Dems like Pelosi and Schumer? NOT WHAT WE VOTED FOR," he said on Twitter.
On Wednesday, about 18 hours before Trump's tweet, senior officials from the White House invited two dozen leaders from conservative groups for a private meeting to plot a path ahead.
Participants, who were instructed by the organizers of the event not to divulge details of the meeting, or even the groups attending, described the hourlong meeting as a welcome, but long overdue, policy discussion. It included a candid, polite airing of complaints that they have been largely left out of the loop on major administration decision-making, according to people who attended.
The meeting, put together by Trump's conservative outreach director, Paul Teller, at the request of conservatives, included representatives of the Heritage Foundation, Americans for Limited Government and Judicial Watch, all of whom criticized some administration policies.
Rick Manning, a longtime conservative activist and former lobbyist, had worked on setting up the meeting for weeks, but it took on a greater urgency after the health care bill was pulled last week.
One administration official, speaking as were others on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the meetings, said it was a long overdue attempt to keep conservatives from criticizing Trump publicly.
A Section on 03/31/2017