Trump golf course in Florida with US Covid relief in the balance

After dropping a grenade threatening to detonate a massive relief bill, government funding and imposing a government shutdown amid a pandemic, US President Donald Trump spent Christmas Eve playing golf in Florida.

Failure to agree on the bill could deprive millions of Americans on the edge of the abyss of checks.

Trump had no events on his public schedule on the first day of his winter vacation Thursday, but he traveled to the Palm Beach Golf Club, where CNN cameras spotted him on the links. Reporters were not given details of his schedule for the day, but they said, “As the holiday season approaches, President Trump will continue to work tirelessly for the American people. His schedule includes many meetings and calls.”

Trump’s departure came as Washington was still teetering with his sudden 11-hour request that the spending bill at the end of the year that congressional leaders spent months negotiating would give most Americans $ 2,000 in Covid relief checks – much more than $ 600. An American member. The party agreed. House Republicans quickly rejected the idea during a rare session on Christmas Eve, leaving the proposal in limbo.

The bipartisan settlement was deemed a finished deal and won sweeping approval in the House and Senate this week after the White House assured Republican leaders that Trump supported it. If Trump refuses to sign the deal, which is attached to a $ 1.4 trillion government funding bill, it will impose a federal government shutdown, as well as delay aid checks and halt unemployment benefits and eviction protections in the midst of the most dangerous period. The epidemic.

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It was the last middle finger of the Republicans from a president who was in a hurry with his November 3 loss to President-elect Joe Biden and is trying to come up with new increasingly disgraceful plans to try to overturn the outcome of a democratic election. It was instigated by allies such as his lawyer, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who escorted the president to Florida on Air Force One.

Trump’s anger has focused, in part, on Republicans in Congress who he believes have not adequately supported his bid to delegitimize Biden’s victory by launching unfounded allegations of mass voter fraud ahead of the Congressional vote-counting meeting on January 6.

In Florida, Trump continued to denounce the results, complaining to members of his being robbed from the election and voicing his frustration about his year-end spending bill.

“At a meeting in Florida today, everyone was asking why the Republicans don’t explode and fight over the fact that the Democrats stole the fraudulent presidential election,” Trump wrote on Twitter after returning to Mar-a-Lago. Club. “They said especially in the Senate, where I helped 8 senators win their races.”

“I will never forget!” Books in post.

The remarks highlighted concerns that Trump is blowing up negotiations to punish lawmakers for what he considers their insufficient loyalty to support.

Trump has provided no credible evidence to support his election claims, which have also been refuted by a long list of officials, from former Attorney General William Barr to Republican governors, judges and local election administrators.

Meanwhile, the nation continues to falter as the Coronavirus spreads, with a record number of infections recorded, hospitalizations and more than 327,000 people dead. Millions of people now face the prospect of taking holidays alone or struggle to make ends meet without adequate income, food or shelter thanks to the economic toll of the pandemic.

To mark the holiday, the President and First Lady Melania Trump posted on Twitter a pre-recorded video message wishing Americans Merry Christmas and thanking first responders and members of the military.

“As you know, this Christmas is different from years past,” said Mrs. Trump, who focused on the “kindness and courage” acts the pandemic inspired.

Trump praised the vaccine doses now being delivered and thanked officials. “It’s really a Christmas miracle,” he said.

Meanwhile, Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Stephen Mnuchin are trying to salvage year-end legislation to try to prevent the lockdown.

Democrats will summon lawmakers to Washington to vote on Monday on Trump’s $ 2,000 proposal, though he will likely die in the Republican-controlled Senate. They are also considering holding a vote Monday on temporary measure to avoid at least the federal shutdown and keep the government running until Biden is inaugurated on January 20.

In addition to relief checks, the passed Covid bill will establish a temporary unemployment supplement of $ 300 per week, provide a new round of benefits to hard-hit businesses, restaurants and theaters, funds for schools, and provide money for health care providers and to help distribute the Covid vaccine. .