‘It’s clear he’s in charge now’: Lawmakers react to Trump’s ‘unprecedented’ involvement ahead of inauguration

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Lawmakers and commentators think it’s “clear” Donald Trump is already in charge even though his inauguration is still weeks away. “It’s clear he’s in charge now,” Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska told the outlet, remarking on Trump’s influence over the chaotic spending bill when the government was just a few hours from a shutdown. Other Republicans claim that Biden has already “checked out.” open image in gallery Some Democrats thought Biden could’ve been ‘more vocal’ about the spending bill chaos, The Hill reported Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina told The Hill that Trump “has been more of a president the last month than President Biden’s been,” while Republican Senator John Cornyn of Texas said Biden “checked out a long time ago.” “I don’t see a lot of leadership coming from the White House. The White House pushed back against criticism and claimed their “maneuvering prevented a Republican-triggered Christmas shutdown.” “President Biden and his team worked hand-in-hand with Leaders Jeffries and Schumer to leverage Republicans’ mistakes against them, guaranteeing that the American public knew the House GOP and Trump were breaking their word and putting tax breaks for the wealthy above troops and Social Security recipients — all at the direction of the richest man in the world,” White House senior deputy press secretary Andrew Bates told The Hill in a statement.