Trump hoping to close out first 100 days on a high note

WASHINGTON — In the last week of the administration’s first 100 days, President Donald Trump and his overworked White House staff are sprinting furiously to hit the historic milestone on a high note — even as the threat of a government shutdown looms.

The White House has pulled out all the tools of the trade.

Sunday talk shows? Check. Administration officials appeared on major Sunday morning news shows.

Charm offensive? Check. Monday night the White House hosted a reception for the conservative media and a dinner with two frequent Republican critics, Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.

Global stage? Check. Trump spent the weekend and Monday chatting amiably with world leaders.

Trump and his team have taken to calling the 100-day milestone “ridiculous” or “artificial” — and many observers on both sides of the aisle agree.

The problem is that in October 2016, Trump set out a detailed agenda for what he planned to accomplish in the first 100 days. Not one of the 10 legislative measures he said he would fight to pass has made it to a vote in Congress. Still, Trump keeps pushing ahead.

Last week the administration floated a compromise plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, with the hope that Congress might vote on the measure this week. “If we can get it done next week, great,” press secretary Sean Spicer said Friday. “If we can get it done the week after, great.”

By Monday’s briefing, Spicer seemed far less optimistic. He told reporters that the administration would wait until House Speaker Paul Ryan and the GOP leadership believe they have the 216 votes needed to pass a bill.

On Wednesday, the White House plans to take a stab at another item on the 100-day agenda: an outline for tax reform.

Trump long has advocated lowering the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 15 percent. Aides promise significant cuts for middle-income families, as well. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin told reporters Monday that working families also should benefit from simplification measures that would allow them to file their returns on forms the size of a large postcard.

Looming over negotiations to prevent a government shutdown on Friday is a major Trump promise — to fully fund a wall on the border with Mexico. On “Meet the Press” Sunday, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi described the wall as “immoral, expensive and unwise.” Democrats have threatened to block a continuing resolution needed to keep the government running and allow a shutdown to occur rather than vote to fund the border wall.

Still, Spicer seemed confident that the administration and Congress would avoid a shutdown. At Monday’s briefing, Spicer noted the progress Trump has made on border security, bolstering the military and continuing negotiations on health-care reform. Spicer described Trump’s early days as “hugely successful.”

Contact Debra J. Saunders at dsaunders@reviewjournal.com or 202-662-7391. Follow @DebraJSaunders on Twitter.