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WASHINGTON-President Trump pledged to retaliate against any investigations by House Democrats in the new Congress, during a post-midterm news conference in which he also struck a combative stance while also calling for bipartisanship and hailing Republican Senate victories.
If Democrats, when they take the majority, follow through on their pledges to investigate what they say to the White House and the president's company, Mr. Trump said that would create a "warlike posture."
He said he would return the favor. "They can play that game, but we can play it better," he said. Earlier in the day, Mr. Trump suggests that it should be investigated in the United States.
President Trump says there are a lot of great things he can do with Democrats on infrastructure, health care and other issues. Photo: AP
Over the course of nearly 90 minutes, Mr. Trump is a member of the United States.
Mr. Trump claims credit for the GOP's likely expansion of its majority in the Senate and played down the party's loss of control of the House, which will empower Democrats to challenge Mr. Trump's authority and push back on legislation. He suggests that Democrats' House Majority would create "much less gridlock" than exists with full Republican control of Washington, and he called it "to join together and put partisanship aside."
Split control of Congress, Mr. Trump said, "could be a beautiful bipartisan-type of situation."
Mr. Trump also mocked some House Republicans who lost their races on Tuesday, it was because they had not done enough to embrace him. Of Republican Rep. Mia Love of Utah, Mr. Trump said: "Mia Love gave me no love, and she lost. Too bad, Mia. "
He also said he would seek to rebuff Democrats' efforts to get his tax returns, saying he would decline to release the results while they were under "continuous audit."
Mr. Trump, breaking with recent precedent, refused to release his returns during the 2016 presidential campaign. Democrats have said the returns are an essential part of exploring the benefits of tax-avoidance strategies.
Democrats plan to request Mr. Trump's tax returns immediately after taking control of the House, Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D., Texas) told reporters on a conference call Wednesday, citing a section of the tax code that allows them to review documents.
Mr. Trump also said that he was weighing a shake-up of his cabinet, which already has more turnover than recent administrations. "People leave," he said, adding he was "very happy" with most of his cabinet.
Trump announces the resignation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions-a frequent Trump Robert Mueller's investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia in the 2016 U.S. election.
In response to a question, Mr. Trump also said that he is "looking at" the conduct of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke. The Interior Department's internal watchdog has been investigated by Mr. Zinke to the Department of Justice, a last month, a move that could lead to a criminal inquiry.
The solo formal news conference-a rarity for Mr. Trump in his first two years in office-was marked by multiple occasions in which the president bristled at reporters' questions. At one point, Mr. Trump, called CNN reporter "a tough, terrible person," and a White House, helped him to get away from his microphone.
Millions of voters flocked to the polls Tuesday, giving House Democrats a boost while strengthening Republicans' control of the Senate. WSJ Gerald F. Seib explains.
CNN said in a statement that Mr. Trump's attacks had "gone too far."
Mr. Trump will face new roadblocks to advancing his agenda under a divided Congress. His cabinet could also be faced with a number of subpoenas from House committees looking to grill the administration on any range of issues.
Democrats have also vowed to reopen investigations into possible Russian collusion, which Mr. Trump has said does not exist. On Wednesday, Mr. Trump called Mr. Mueller's investigation a "disgrace" but said he would not move to shut down the probe because "politically I do not like stopping it."
Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, said on NBC News's "Today" that majority Democrats would "conduct investigations Republicans would not conduct."
"We'll fill in the gaps on the Russia investigations. The American people will see [Trump’s] They do not know if they're corrupt, "he said.
The news conference also saw several off-the-cuff moments. Asked if he would be to Vice President Mike Pence joining him on the ticket for his 2020 re-election, Mr. Trump said, "I have not asked him, but I hope so," before turning to his vice president who was sitting in the audience. "Mike, will you be running my mate?" He asked, prompting the vice president to stand up and nod yes.
Write to Rebecca Ballhaus at [email protected] and Vivian Salama at [email protected]
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