Ex-Trump aide calls president's stimulus threat 'most selfish thing I've ever seen'

In the wake of President Trump's rejection of Congress' bipartisan $900 billion coronavirus relief bill, lawmakers are scrambling to avoid a disastrous government shutdown one day before Christmas, POLITICO reports. But aides secretly wonder if Trump is actually serious about vetoing the stimulus bill at all.

"The scramble on Capitol Hill — which has largely emptied out for the holidays — includes a last-minute bid by House Democrats to roughly triple the size of Americans' stimulus checks to meet Trump's demands. House Republicans on Thursday morning blocked the effort, setting up a dramatic showdown in Congress next week that could put the president at odds with members of his own party," writes POLITICO's Sarah Ferris, Marianne Levine, and Anita Kumar.

According to the report, top officials like Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin are secretly working on contingency plans that include a stopgap spending bill if Trump formally vetos the measure by Monday when government funding is supposed to run out.

Back at the White House, it's not known if Trump is actually serious about vetoing the legislation, considering the fact that his primary focus is on overturning the result of the 2020 election.

"This is Trump being Trump," said a former senior administration official who remains close to the White House. "He always keeps you guessing. It's Trump — who knows what he will do?"

Speaking to POLITICO, a Republican close to the White House said that Trump is unlikely to veto the bill, pointing out that he didn't use the word "veto" in his video message slamming the legislation, adding that Trump has threatened to veto legislation in the past before signing it.

"He's turning a fairly decent four years with a decent record into an utter disaster," said a former staffer. "Most selfish thing I've ever seen."

Read the full report over at POLITICO.