Nancy Pelosi reportedly asked her male colleagues if women were permitted to speak at a dinner at the White House on Wednesday night.
Pelosi, House Minority Leader, kept being interjected by the so-called “mansplainers” at the table when Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross asked what would Trump gain from the Democratic deal on border security and DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals); Nancy tried saying he would gain support from Democrats on a number of issues, in vain.
The deal, which was proposed by Pelosi herself as well as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, has not been publicly released in its entirety, but both sides have confirmed a deal is in the works.
This signal of true bipartisan co-operation may soon not be a rarity; last week another Trump-Pelosi-Schumer deal was agreed to, which looked at the debt ceiling and government spending. Republicans were reportedly caught off-guard, the proposal had been rejected by Speaker of the House Paul Ryan earlier on that day so a snap-decision made by Trump was not expected. Friction is ever-present in the Republican party.
Chuck Schumer on the Democrats surprised win: “It was a really good moment of some bipartisanship.” He added, “The bottom line is the president listened to the arguments. We think we made a very reasonable and strong argument. And to his credit, he went with the better argument.”
Tension is also brewing in the Democratic aisle as Hispanic lawmakers feel Pelosi and Schumer have already given up too much and they feel as if they’re being shut-out from any of these key talks.
One speculated aspect of the current deal in-the-works is that it includes his cornerstone campaign promise — funding for the U.S./Mexico wall to be built. Though Vox reports that while Democrats are willing to spend some money on border security, no funding is being allocated to a wall.
Both parties and their spectators are watching this deal closely as the president negotiates the country’s biggest issues while breaking bread with the enemy, though any outcome is anyone’s guess as Trump can change his mind at any minute — no doubt letting Twitter know about it first.
