Florida Republican spars with Chuck Todd over Trump stance on debt ceiling

Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) on Sunday sparred with NBC’s Chuck Todd over former President Trump’s shifting stance on whether to use the debt ceiling as a “negotiating wedge.”

Todd on NBC’s “Meet the Press” highlighted 2019 comments from Trump in which the then-president said “I can’t imagine anybody ever even thinking of using the debt ceiling as a negotiating wedge” and asked Donalds why he doesn’t agree with the former president on this.

“He also said the other day … that he said that when he was president and when asked why he wasn’t saying it now he said it’s because he’s not president,” Donalds said, referencing Trump’s remarks at a CNN town hall event.

“Do you realize how absurd that sounds?” Todd pressed the Florida Republican.

“That is not absurd,” Donalds said.

“How is that not absurd?” Todd asked as the pair talked over each other.

“He’s always negotiating. That’s what he does,” Donalds said of Trump.

“‘What is good for me is not for thee.’ He’s basically saying, ‘When I’m president, there’s no negotiating on this. But, hey, when somebody else is president, screw them,’” Todd countered.

President Biden and House Republicans have been stalled in talks on the debt ceiling as the White House pushes for a clean debt limit increase and GOP lawmakers push for spending cuts. The Treasury has warned the U.S. could default on its bills as soon as June 1.

Donalds has endorsed Trump over his fellow Floridian politician, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.), who is expected to join the former president in the 2024 White House race later this week.

“To me, it’s not really about Donald Trump versus Ron DeSantis; it’s about what America needs,” Donalds said of the race on Sunday.

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