CNN’s Erin Burnett was taken aback on Monday by a new report about how President Donald Trump plans to navigate what he’s describing as a “betrayal of his base.”
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Last week, Trump abruptly canceled the signing ceremony for the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, an overwhelmingly popular bipartisan bill that would address housing costs ahead of the midterm elections. Republicans and Democrats alike were outraged at the decision, which Trump claimed to make in order to force lawmakers to pass his unpopular SAVE America Act, which would fundamentally rewrite how American elections are conducted.
The move prompted a reportedly tense meeting between Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Trump. Afterward, Johnson told reporters that the House of Representatives would send the bill to Trump on Monday, with the hope that it would be signed promptly.
CNN’s Kristen Holmes reported on CNN’s “Erin Burnett OutFront” that Trump did another about-face on the bill, instead choosing to let it become law after the 10-day deadline he was given to sign it.
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“I’m told by a White House official that President Trump is unlikely to sign that bipartisan housing bill, [he will] just let it go into law,” Holmes reported. “He’s not going to veto it, but right now he views it as a betrayal to his base if he were to actually sign it.”
Holmes also noted that Trump was doubling down on his insistence on passing the SAVE America Act.
“He’s promised to have the SAVE America Act get through before he signs any major legislation, so he’s willing to potentially not sign this … very widely supported housing bill in order to try to push [the bill],” Holmes reported.
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The new developments took Burnett by surprise.
“It’s incredible,” she said.
