President Trump offered assurances to DACA recipients on Twitter Thursday at the request of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, an aide told Fox News — in the latest example of the president’s new outreach to Democrats.
Trump tweeted: “For all of those (DACA) that are concerned about your status during the 6 month period, you have nothing to worry about – No action!”
For all of those (DACA) that are concerned about your status during the 6 month period, you have nothing to worry about – No action!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 7, 2017
He was referring to the six-month delay he’s included in his administration’s decision to end the Obama-era program that offers a deportation reprieve and work permits to some illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. as children. Trump announced the reversal of the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program on Tuesday, setting off a firestorm on Capitol Hill.
But a senior House Democratic aide told Fox News that Pelosi, D-Calif., had asked the president to deliver the Twitter message during a phone call earlier Thursday morning.
“Pelosi told her colleagues at whip meeting this morning that she spoke to Trump via phone and asked him to tweet this to make clear DREAMers won’t be subject to deportation in 6 month window,” the aide said.
Without addressing the tweet backstory, the White House confirmed that Trump spoke with Pelosi. But Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Trump also spoke Thursday morning with House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., as well as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. He plans to have dinner with Ryan Thursday evening as well.
Trump has faced some criticism from his own party, though, for striking a debt deal a day earlier with Schumer and Pelosi in defiance of congressional Republican leaders.
During a White House meeting with the four congressional leaders, Trump agreed to Democrats’ demands for a short-term debt-ceiling increase – attached to Hurricane Harvey relief funds. Ryan, who wanted a longer-term debt-limit hike, had blasted such an arrangement as “ridiculous” earlier in the day.
But Fox News is told Trump wanted to avoid a budget and debt-ceiling battle in the near-term, so he could focus Congress on tax reform.
