‘Embarrassing’: Trump mocked after his ‘bizarre’ effort to renegotiate COVID relief bill goes nowhere

Politico's Jake Sherman was both baffled and amused by Donald Trump's decision to hold the desperately-needed COVID-19 aid bill hostage through the Christmas holidays -- after making demands and threatening to veto it -- only to fold at the last moment and sign, having gained nothing but contempt from lawmakers and the public alike.

Echoing comments made on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" that Trump was "taken to the cleaners," Sherman on Monday labeled the whole needless exercise in power "bizarre and embarrassing."

In an attempt to save face, the president "redlined" elements of the bill he wants removed -- although it is already a done deal -- with Sherman writing those demands will likely be ignored.

"That's it? " Sherman began. "President Donald Trump made all this noise about the Covid relief and government funding bill only to sign it and get nothing in return? What a bizarreand embarrassing episode for the president. He opposed a bill his administration negotiated. He had no discernible strategy and no hand to play — and it showed. He folded, and got nothing besides a few days of attention and chaos."

As for the Trump's demands, Sherman mocked the president for making them, writing that Congress will likely ignore the lame-duck president now that he has signed off on the bill and his days in office are numbered.

Pointing out that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) failed to even mention the requests when he issued a statement on the bill progressing, Sherman said the president's ploy to make it look like he had something to do with the bill beyond signing it showed that he learned nothing about how the government works after four years in office.

"This is probably the most fitting coda to Trump's presidency, and a neat encapsulation of his relationship with Congress," he wrote. "He never cared to understand the place and was disengaged from its work."

The columnist got in one last dig in his conclusion, writing, "They'll be laughing — er, scratching their heads — at your genius about this one for a while, Mr. President."

You can read the whole piece here.