Trump suggests he could back a bigger coronavirus stimulus as top aide says he’s more optimistic about a deal
U.S. President Donald President Trump speaks after it was announced Bahrain has joined the United Arab Emirates in striking an agreement to normalize relations with Israel during a brief appearance in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S., September 11, 2020.
Kevin Lemarque | Reuters
President Donald Trump urged Republicans to embrace a larger coronavirus stimulus package Wednesday as a top White House aide showed more optimism about striking a deal with Democrats.
In a tweet, the president told GOP lawmakers to “go for the much higher numbers” in legislation designed to boost an economy and health-care system struggling under the weight of the pandemic. Many Republicans have embraced limited relief — or backed no new spending at all — as the major parties struggle to break a stalemate over a fifth relief bill.
Shortly after Trump tweeted, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows told CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” he is “probably more optimistic about the potential for a deal in the last 72 hours than I have been in the last 72 days.” The comment from Meadows, one of the two leading Trump administration negotiators in stimulus talks, followed the Tuesday release of a roughly $1.5 trillion aid proposal by the bipartisan House Problem Solvers Caucus.
