President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence criticized the United States Chamber of Commerce in a phone call after the business group endorsed 23 House Democrats in vital congressional races, a report alleges.
According to sources who spoke with Axios, Trump and Pence rebuked the Chamber’s recent endorsement of House Democrats in a phone call with Chamber CEO Tom Donohue:
President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence criticized the CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce during a phone call Friday morning, venting their frustrations over its recent endorsement of nearly two dozen vulnerable House Democratic freshmen, two sources familiar with the call tell Axios. [Emphasis added]
…
Pence then acknowledged that the Chamber has historically supported some number of Democrats in past election cycles, but added that he and the president were frustrated with the scope of the endorsement. [Emphasis added]
Despite the criticism — and the Chamber’s longtime opposition to key components of Trump’s “America First” agenda — Donohue reportedly continued lobbying the Trump administration on issues.
Axios reported:
Donahue also reminded Trump of the importance of bipartisanship to get his priorities through, like the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade deal that was heavily lobbied by the Chamber, the source said. [Emphasis added]
The reported statements from Trump and Pence came as Breitbart News detailed, in an exclusive report, political turmoil in which the Chamber has been engulfed.
One insider called the Chamber “an elitist organization,” while another said their Democrat endorsements were “what happens when the Washington swamp and Wall Street get together in Nancy Pelosi’s conference room and make a deal.”
The number of small businesses paying dues to the Chamber stands at less than 7,000 today, according to sources with knowledge. In its heyday, the Chamber had about 130,000 small businesses paying dues.
The Chamber has not responded to Breitbart News’s requests for comment.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.
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