‘We have to be remembered for what has been done,’ says Trump, returning to Washington early

US President Donald Trump arrives at Marine One with First Lady Melania Trump after returning from Mar-A-Lago on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, the United States, on December 31, 2020. REUTERS / Leah Millis

WASHINGTON – After weeks of vowing to win his fight to stay in office, US President Donald Trump posted a video Thursday recalling what he called “historic victories” and saying, “We have to be remembered for what has been done. “

Trump, who has yet to formally concede his defeat in the November election to Democrat Joe Biden, posted the message on Twitter after returning to Washington early from his Florida resort amid a fight with Congress over a US bill. defense and aid controls for coronavirus.

Trump praised his administration’s accomplishments, which he said included its handling of the coronavirus pandemic and rebuilding the economy.

Trump, who had COVID-19 in October, frequently downplayed the severity of the pandemic and oversaw a response that many health experts have criticized as disorganized, arrogant, and at times ignoring the science behind the transmission of the virus.

Trump said the United States has produced a COVID-19 vaccine in record time and had correctly predicted that this would occur before the year is out.

The United States has been one of the countries hardest hit by COVID-19 and leads the world in deaths, with more than 340,000 deaths officially attributed to the virus.

Trump was originally scheduled to attend a New Years Eve party at his Mar-a-Lago resort.

The White House hasn’t given any reason why he returned to Washington early, but it coincides with Trump’s fight with Congress over his veto of a major defense bill and his demand for tighter COVID-19 stimulus controls, as well as an increase in tensions with Iran.

Trump ignored the shouted questions from journalists about Iran and whether he would attend Biden’s January 20 inauguration when he returned to the White House.

President-elect Biden is expected to be seen in the New Year at his beach house in Delaware, though he is due to appear on the long-running ABC special “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin ‘Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2021.”

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the House’s top Republican, dealt a likely death blow Wednesday to Trump’s proposal to boost coronavirus aid to Americans, and declined to schedule a quick vote. on a bill to increase relief checks to $ 2,000 from the $ 600 included in an $ 892 billion aid package passed by Congress earlier this month.

CLAIMS WITHOUT SUPPORT

Trump’s fellow Republicans in Congress have largely stuck with him for four turbulent years, but he’s angry that they haven’t fully endorsed his unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud or supported him on the stimulus checks and the veto.

He attacked Republican leaders in tweets this week as “pathetic” and accused the party of having a “death wish” if it did not increase stimulus payments for struggling Americans.

McConnell again rejected a vote Thursday on an independent bill that would increase stimulus controls, calling it “socialism for the rich” and “a terrible way to get help for families who really need it.” The bill was approved by the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives on Monday.

McConnell also said there should be nothing controversial about the passage of the $ 740 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which Trump vetoed because it does not repeal certain legal protections for tech companies.

“We have enacted an annual NDAA for 59 years in a row and counting,” McConnell said. “In the next few days, the easy way or the hard way, we will do our job one more time. This body will fulfill our responsibility towards the men and women who protect our country ”.

The House voted to overturn Trump’s veto on Monday. The Senate will meet again on Friday at noon EST (1700 GMT) for a rare New Years Day session in which lawmakers are expected to cast the first of two procedural votes aimed at overriding the veto. If successful, the Senate is expected to hold a second procedural vote on Saturday followed by a final vote on approval.

TENSIONS WITH REPUBLICANS

Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri said Wednesday that he would challenge Biden’s victory when Congress meets to officially count Electoral College votes on Jan.6, which could spark a lengthy debate in the Republican-controlled Senate, but You have virtually no chance of nullifying the results. .

Some Republican senators had supported Trump’s call for increased stimulus payments, notably David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, who face runoff elections in Georgia next week that will determine which party controls the Senate under Biden.

In a blow to Republicans, the Perdue campaign said Thursday that it was in quarantine after coming into contact with someone who tested positive for the coronavirus.

Perdue was notified of the contact Thursday and tested negative, according to a campaign statement.

Meanwhile, tensions between the United States and Iran have soared again.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Thursday accused Washington of trying to fabricate a pretext to attack his country and vowed that Tehran would defend itself even if it did not seek war.

Two US B-52 bombers flew over the Middle East on Wednesday in what US officials said was a deterrent message to Iran ahead of the one-year anniversary of a US drone strike that killed Iranian senior general Qassem Soleimani on January 3, 2020.

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