He cajoled and charmed uncertain members, offering flattery and attention to some and to admonishment and the vague threat of political retribution to others. He invited members to the White House for bowling sessions, gave others rides on Air Force One (complete with lasagna) and grinned for pictures in the Oval Office, where he reminded lawmakers of his margins of victory in their districts.
But legislating, it turned out, was different from cutting deals to splash his name across skyscrapers. And less than 100 days into his administration, the president found himself a red-faced Don Quixote, railing against the intractable forces on Capitol Hill, where Republicans are wearied by years of infighting.
This account of Trumps work on the health-care bill based on interviews with roughly three dozen White House aides and advisers, members of Congress, and other key figures in the debate revealed a president in a constant state of negotiation. He remarked to friends and aides that it did not feel much different than his real estate transactions.
Its the same thing, he said Wednesday in the Oval Office. Really, it is.
