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After Warren’s speech assailing Trump, he called her. Here’s what they discussed.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren and President Donald Trump are fierce opponents, but they do have a couple of shared policy goals.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren delivered a prominent speech Monday in which she tore into President Donald Trump, blaming him for rising costs and a number of other problems with America. Afterward, to Warren’s apparent surprise, Trump called her directly.
The senator addressed the call in a statement to The Boston Globe and other media outlets Monday afternoon.
“I said that if he really wants to get something done, including capping credit card interest rates or lowering housing costs, he would use his leverage and pick up the phone,” Warren said. “After my speech, the President called me, and I delivered this same message on affordability to him directly.”
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Trump and Warren have largely been harsh critics of each other, but they have found common ground on ideas like abolishing the national debt limit and establishing a cap on credit card rates. Trump reignited the conversation about a temporary cap on credit card interest rates just last week.
“I told him that Congress can pass legislation to cap credit card rates if he will actually fight for it,” Warren said.
The senator also urged Trump to help pass the bipartisan ROAD to Housing Act by urging congressional Republicans to support it, she said.
Warren used her speech at the National Press Club Monday to outline her vision for the future of the Democratic Party. In order to win elections and regain power from Trump, Warren said that Democrats need to embrace unapologetic economic populism.
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The party must be unafraid of taking big swings meant to improve affordability for Americans, she said, instead of “nibbling around the edges.” As part of this effort, Warren said that Democrats should be willing to break with ultrawealthy donors.
Warren has not elaborated on exactly what the president said on their call but told the Globe that he “wanted to talk about costs.” Trump did not act angry on the phone with Warren, she told the paper.
The call was unexpected.
“I almost didn’t answer because I didn’t recognize the number,” she told the Globe.
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