Trump news: President 'antagonizes' major donor months before election, as ally says Biden would be favourite in head-to-head debate
Donald Trump attacked one of his most important donors, according to a new report, with some Republicans fearing he put his campaign funding in jeopardy.
The president had a phone call last week with conservative donor Sheldon Adelson, the 87-year-old American business magnate who has pledged to donate at least $100 million to help re-elect Mr Trump and his allies on Capitol Hill. During that phone call, Mr Trump appeared unaware of how much Mr Adelson has already donated to his campaign, and how much more he was willing to spend to help other Republicans win in November, an anonymous source with direct knowledge of the call told Politico.
Meanwhile, Stephen Miller, an adviser to Mr Trump who has been studying Joe Biden’s debate performances over the years, said the former vice president was “actually a very good debater” who “doesn’t have as many gaffes as he does in his everyday interviews”, according to the Washington Post.
would provide an extra $400 per week to unemployed Americans, temporarily suspend the collection of payroll taxes, stop evictions from rental housing that has federal financial backing and extend zero percent interest on federally financed student loans.
"Congressional Democrats have stonewalled our efforts to extend this relief," Trump told reporters at his New Jersey golf club.
House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi had pushed to extend the enhanced unemployment payments at the previous rate of $600 per week approved early in the crisis.
Nearly two weeks of talks between White House officials and congressional Democrats ended on Friday with the two sides still about $2 trillion apart on next steps to address the heavy human and economic toll the coronavirus pandemic has taken on the United States, where it has killed more than 160,000 people.
The $600 per week increase in unemployment payments that has served as a lifeline to the tens of millions of Americans who lost their jobs in the pandemic expired at the end of July.
Trump initially played down the disease's threat and has drawn criticism for inconsistent messages on public health steps such as social distancing and masks.
Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Friday offered to reduce a proposed $3.4 trillion coronavirus aid package, which the House passed in May but the Senate ignored, by nearly one-third if Republicans would agree to more than double their $1 trillion counter-offer.
Additional reporting by Reuters. Check out The Independent's live coverage and updates below:
