Desperate Trump allies convinced him to sign COVID relief package by 'playing to his vanity': report

President Donald Trump signed the COVID-19 stimulus bill with the meager $600 checks despite demanding the checks be increased to the Democratic plan at $2,000. The bill, which was also combined with an omnibus spending bill, was signed Sunday evening, reportedly only after allies had insisted the relief package gave him "wins" he could announce.

Axios reported Monday that Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) worked with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who was with the president over the weekend. Together they "indulged the president's rants" and "told him there was great stuff in the bill"

"Playing to his vanity, they invoked his legacy, and reminded him he didn't want to hurt people," Axios added.

A statement from the president Sunday night explained that the House would vote on the $2,000 checks and that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) agreed to hold a vote in the Senate. When McConnell released a statement about the president signing the bill, however, he made no mention of actually making good on his alleged promise.

This session of Congress ends on Jan. 3, so Congress has less than a week to make it happen. The House is set to vote Monday with a suspension of the rules. Using that suspension of the rules to pass the bill, however, means that two-thirds of the House must support the bill.

If McConnell refuses to hold a vote on the bill or the bill fails to pass due to a lack of Republican support, then the GOP will be on the hook for refusing to make good on Trump's demand for higher direct payments. It'll happen days before the Georgia election, which is Jan. 5.

"It may be too late. Too late for him, too late for the economy, too late for Covid, and too late for the Georgia senators," GOP pollster Frank Luntz told Axios.

Read the full report at Axios.com.