www.drudgereport.com
"I suspect there is a sabotage," he said on conservative commentator Michael Savage's radio show on Friday. "Do you know Obama had the stimulus package on his desk before Inauguration Day? What did this Congress give this great man? Nothing."
Drudge, the founder and editor of the influential Drudge Report aggregation website, told Savage that Trump has not been allowed to make full use of his charisma - part of why the administration has struggled.
"This isn't just getting a bill through Congress. This is also charisma," he said. "I wish they would let him return to Donald Trump - the full Donald Trump."
Commentators have speculated recently about Drudge's conspicuous absence during much of the GOP's recent healthcare debacle, wondering whether his silence indicated dissatisfaction with the Trump administration.
But on the radio show, Drudge appeared to pin most of the blame for the failure of the American Health Care Act on Congress, noting that even if the bill had passed through the House, it would likely have been obstructed in the Senate.
"Donald Trump has been dealt a very bad hand here. Does the audience understand that? He has a bad hand and that's just the way it is," he said.
Drudge cited recent Rasmussen polling that showed Trump's dipping approval ratings, saying the results showed "danger."
He also suggested Trump do an interview with Oprah Winfrey, extending an olive branch to her liberal viewers without changing his
"Why not do a little bit more to reach out to the other half?" he said.
But Drudge also said he wished Trump would play less of a visible role in the White House, staying away from
"I don't think President Trump needs to be out front every day saying something," he said. "I think we would respect him if he got serious things done, and the end result: You judge the tree by the fruit."