Trump says he wants a bigger stimulus package than the $2.2 trillion amount that Democrats are seeking

• Trump said he would support a bigger spending package beyond the $2.2 trillion amount that Democrats have put forward.
• "I would like to see a bigger stimulus package, frankly, than either the Democrats or the Republicans are offering," Trump said in a radio interview.
• But Trump's demands for a bigger aid package collide with the economic impulses among Republicans, who tend to favor targeted bills that cost less.

President Donald Trump said he would support a larger stimulus package beyond the amounts that both parties have put forward so far.

"I would like to see a bigger stimulus package, frankly, than either the Democrats or the Republicans are offering," he said in an interview on conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh's program. "I'm going the exact opposite now."

"I'd like to see a bigger package," he said. "I'd like to see money going to people."

Trump's remarks come as the White House prepares a $1.8 trillion stimulus package to Democrats, The Washington Post reported. It would be the administration's biggest offer yet and an increase from a $1.6 trillion plan they put forward last week in negotiations between Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

"Covid Relief Negotiations are moving along. Go Big!" Trump wrote in a tweet.

—Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 9, 2020

But it's not yet clear what details vary between their newest plan and the last one. Larry Kudlow, a top Trump economic advisor, told reporters on Friday the new plan would contain another round of direct payments, federal unemployment benefits, small business aid, and an airline rescue without elaborating further.

White House communications director Alyssa Farah told reporters on Friday that the administration was "eager" to strike a deal with Democrats, though they wanted to keep the final amount below $2 trillion.

Trump abruptly ended the talks with a series of tweets on Tuesday, three days after he urged Congress to pass a stimulus bill. It set off several days of headspinning developments with the White House cutting off talks, only to restart them shortly after and aggressively push for a new federal rescue pacakge.

But Trump's demands for a larger package collide with the economic inclinations of many Republicans. Many GOP senators opposed a $1 trillion spending plan earlier this summer, citing their concern over the swelling deficit. It's not clear how much support a deal struck between Pelosi and Mnuchin would draw from Republicans on Capitol Hill.

"I've got a significant percentage of my members who think we've done enough and who are alarmed by the amount of national debt," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said at a campaign event in Kentucky Thursday. He threw cold water on Friday regarding the prospect of a stimulus package before the election.

The Democratic economic aid bill includes another round of $1,200 stimulus checks to taxpayers and a revival of the $600 in weekly federal unemployment benefits through the end of January. It also provides aid to cash-strapped state and local governments, as well as small businesses.

Many experts are urging lawmakers to approve more federal spending as the economy shows signs of slowing down. The US still hasn't recovered half the jobs it lost in March and April, and permanent layoffs are rising. The unemployment rate stands at 7.9%.