Associated Press/Jacquelyn Martin
President Donald Trump gestures while speaking, Friday, June 29, 2018, during an event in the East Room of the White House in Washington.
- President Donald Trump on Saturday went back on his earlier comments about a Republican immigration bill.
- Trump had previously tweeted urging Republicans to pass the bill, which failed earlier this week.
President Donald Trump falsely said he didn't push for a failed Republican immigration bill in a tweet that directly contradicts a tweet from three days earlier.
Trump tweeted Saturday afternoon that he never pushed Republicans to support either one of the two immigration bills that have failed to pass in Congress.
But three days earlier, Trump said the exact opposite about the "strong but fair" bill, pushing House Republicans to pass the bill in all-caps tweet.
"Goodlatte" refers to House Judiciary Committee Chair Rep. Bob Goodlatte, who put forth two conservative immigration bills with Rep. Michael McCaul.
These tweets make up Trump's third message reversal in nearly a week after he initially tweeted immigration couldn't be fixed until after November's elections.
The Goodlatte 1 bill, which was meant to be a "compromise" failed to win any votes from Democrats, ultimately failing 121-301, worse than the conservative bill that failed to pass the week before, 193-231.
Republicans are reportedly frustrated with Trump's lack of a clear direction for next steps in immigration policy as he has changed his message several times in recent weeks, often blaming uncertain chances in November's midterm elections.
The White House's disconnect with Congress comes amid major national uproar over the Trump administration's zero-tolerance policy that resulted in the separation and detention of thousands of immigrant children at the US-Mexico border.
I never pushed the Republicans in the House to vote for the Immigration Bill, either GOODLATTE 1 or 2, because it could never have gotten enough Democrats as long as there is the 60 vote threshold. I released many prior to the vote knowing we need more Republicans to win in Nov.
- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 30, 2018HOUSE REPUBLICANS SHOULD PASS THE STRONG BUT FAIR IMMIGRATION BILL, KNOWN AS GOODLATTE II, IN THEIR AFTERNOON VOTE TODAY, EVEN THOUGH THE DEMS WON'T LET IT PASS IN THE SENATE. PASSAGE WILL SHOW THAT WE WANT STRONG BORDERS & SECURITY WHILE THE DEMS WANT OPEN BORDERS = CRIME. WIN!
- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 27, 2018