President Donald Trump appeared to target conservative House members within his own party in a tweet Thursday morning that told his supporters “We must fight” the House Freedom Caucus as well as Democrats next year.
“The Freedom Caucus will hurt the entire Republican agenda if they don’t get on the team, & fast. We must fight them, & Dems, in 2018!” Trump tweeted.
The President is using the power of his bully pulpit to try and force the Freedom Caucus to work with him on his agenda rather than be against it.
An impasse between House moderates and Freedom Caucus members led to the pulling of a bill last week to repeal and replace Obamacare that was supported by GOP leaders and the President. The White House accused the conservative group of moving the goalposts during negotiations and Trump has called out the group publicly over the weekend as well.
Asked by CNN to clarify whether Trump is calling for Freedom Caucus members to face primary challenges in 2018, deputy press secretary Sarah Sanders responded: “The President’s tweet speaks for itself.”