MCCONNELL: Trump is frustrated with Congress because he 'has not been in this line of work before'
During a speech to members of a northern Kentucky Rotary Club, McConnell said Trump had "excessive expectations" about the inner workings of legislative dealmaking, according to local CNN affiliate WCPO.
"Our new president, of course, has not been in this line of work before," McConnell said. "I think he had excessive expectations about how quickly things happen in the democratic process."
McConnell also said the public should give lawmakers have more time to work out issues.
"Part of the reason I think people think we're under-performing is because of too many artificial deadlines unrelated to the reality of the legislature which may have not been understood," the majority leader said.
According to The Washington Post, the Senate has held fewer than 10 votes in which a roll call was needed, a low historical number. With the failure of the Republican healthcare push, Trump has no major legislative victory to point to 200 days into his tenure.
Even McConnell himself, asked after an apparent defeat of the healthcare push in mid-July, only listed confirming Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch and passing simple de-regulation measures when asked about the Senate's accomplishments.
Over the past few weeks, Trump has channeled his discontent through Twitter, repeatedly attacking members of his own party for not passing the healthcare bill or enacting other major legislation. McConnell told the Rotary Club meeting that he is not a fan of the president's social media habit.
"I've been, and I will be again today, not a fan of tweeting, and I've said that to him privately. I think it would be helpful if the president would be a little more on message," McConnell said.
Congress struggled to pass major legislation prior to departing for its August vacation, and now it faces a busy September that includes the need to pass a budget, raise the debt ceiling, authorize funding for a variety of federal programs, and start work on a major tax overhaul.