Dec 22, 2018 - Politics & Policy

New Trump spin for 2020: He's glad Pelosi, Democrats won

Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images

President Trump has privately said he's glad that Democrats took the House in the 2018 midterm elections because he believes it will increase his chances of being re-elected in 2020, the New York Times reports.

The big picture: Trump's outlook is that incoming-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and the House Democrats will "serve as a useful antagonist," per the Times, which notes that both Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama were re-elected after "even bigger midterm setbacks" than Trump saw in November. Former legislative affairs director Marc Short told the Times it's "better to have Nancy Pelosi as a foil than Paul Ryan as a foil." Of course, just wait until the subpoenas start flying — as Trump's glad will likely turn to mad.

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