WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump has delivered a probable death blow to bipartisan congressional budget negotiations by rejecting the measure as a “betrayal of our country” just days before a spending deadline. It was a display of dominance from a president-elect who remains hundreds of miles away at his Florida resort in Mar-a-Lago and reinjected a sense of chaos reminiscent of his first term in office. The episode also showcased the influence of Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who spent the day attacking the budget legislation as full of excessive spending. Trump’s allies were overjoyed by his intervention, viewing it as the fulfillment of his promise to shake up Washington. But lawmakers were also left bewildered.
