Donald Trump Says GOP Being 'Absolutely Savaged' by Democrats in Infrastructure

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Alex J. Rouhandeh serves as a special correspondent for Newsweek and is currently working toward his Master of Arts within the politics concentration at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism where he serves as the school's student representative in the University Senate and the Student Leadership Advisory Council of the Columbia Alumni Association.

Previously, he served as Newsweek's congressional correspondent, reporting from Capitol Hill and the campaign trail. Over his tenure with Newsweek, Alex has covered the speakership of Mike Johnson, the ouster of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, the midterm elections of 2022, the Russo-Ukrainian War, and other key congressional stories of the Biden presidency.

Alex additionally provides coverage of Newsweek ownership and has produced investigative reporting on legal troubles facing the Olivet Assembly, a religious entity to which Newsweek's two owners formerly held ties.

Prior to covering Congress, Alex reported on matters of U.S. national security, holding press credentials for both the U.S. Capitol and the Department of Defense. Before joining Newsweek, Alex wrote for The American Prospect, Vice News, WDIV-TV NBC Local 4 News in Detroit, and other regional outlets.

His entry into the media industry began at Syracuse University where he majored in magazine journalism and produced award-winning coverage of the U.S.-Mexico border. At Syracuse, Alex also completed majors in policy studies as well as citizenship & civic engagement and was recognized as a Remembrance Scholar, one of the university's highest honors.

Alex was selected by the National Press Foundation to serve as a Paul Miller Washington Reporting fellow in 2024. He holds memberships with the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), and the Investigative Reporters & Editors (IRE) organization.

Contact Alex with tips and feedback at a.rouhandeh@newsweek.com, and stay updated on his reporting by following him on social media at @AlexRouhandeh.

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Former President Donald Trump lambasted Republican leadership for working with Democrats in what he described as the "so-called 'bipartisan' infrastructure bill."

In a statement, paid for by his Save America PAC, Trump wrote that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and his group of "RINOS" (Republicans in name only) want to complete the deal done "at any cost" to show they can work with the "Radical Left Democrats."

Trump followed this by stating Republicans should not work on the deal until after they "regain a strong negotiating stance" after the 2022 elections.

Donald Trump Liz Cheney Warmonger Election Fraud
“Senate Republicans are being absolutely savaged by Democrats on the so-called 'bipartisan' infrastructure bill,” former President Trump wrote in a statement. Mandel Ngan/AFP

This message comes as the Associated Press reported that senators and staff spent this past weekend working on a final agreement for the bill. The AP reported that the financial figure designated toward public transit currently stands as a roadblock in way of the deal's completion.

Republican Senator Rob Portman of Ohio, who voted to acquit Trump on charges of inciting the January 6 Capitol Riot but opposed the former President's attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election, told the AP that both sides were "about 90 percent of the way there" on the infrastructure deal.

Despite the former president's calls to cease negotiations, infrastructure remains popular amongst his voter base. According to a poll conducted by Yahoo News/YouGov, six out of 10 GOP voters approve of the "compromise infrastructure plan."

Last year, the former President's stance looked similar to the views expressed through the poll. In March of 2020, Trump called on Congress to pass a $2 trillion spending plan aimed to refurbish roads, bridges, and other infrastructure as part of the nation's response to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Trump Infrastructure Statement
A photo of the statement on the infrastructure bill, paid for by former President Trump's Save America PAC. Save America

Trump presented an infrastructure bill to Congress in February 2018 that was backed with $200 billion in federal funding that he claimed would support $1.5 trillion in private sector investment. Democrats ultimately opposed the plan due to its reliance on state and local funding as well as private investments.

Harkening back to his 2016 campaign, the former president had the following to say about U.S. infrastructure:

"We have a country that needs new roads, new tunnels, new bridges, new airports, new schools," he said during the debate against Hillary Clinton in September of 2016. "We've become a third-world country."

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About the writer

Alex J. Rouhandeh serves as a special correspondent for Newsweek and is currently working toward his Master of Arts within the politics concentration at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism where he serves as the school's student representative in the University Senate and the Student Leadership Advisory Council of the Columbia Alumni Association.

Previously, he served as Newsweek's congressional correspondent, reporting from Capitol Hill and the campaign trail. Over his tenure with Newsweek, Alex has covered the speakership of Mike Johnson, the ouster of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, the midterm elections of 2022, the Russo-Ukrainian War, and other key congressional stories of the Biden presidency.

Alex additionally provides coverage of Newsweek ownership and has produced investigative reporting on legal troubles facing the Olivet Assembly, a religious entity to which Newsweek's two owners formerly held ties.

Prior to covering Congress, Alex reported on matters of U.S. national security, holding press credentials for both the U.S. Capitol and the Department of Defense. Before joining Newsweek, Alex wrote for The American Prospect, Vice News, WDIV-TV NBC Local 4 News in Detroit, and other regional outlets.

His entry into the media industry began at Syracuse University where he majored in magazine journalism and produced award-winning coverage of the U.S.-Mexico border. At Syracuse, Alex also completed majors in policy studies as well as citizenship & civic engagement and was recognized as a Remembrance Scholar, one of the university's highest honors.

Alex was selected by the National Press Foundation to serve as a Paul Miller Washington Reporting fellow in 2024. He holds memberships with the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), and the Investigative Reporters & Editors (IRE) organization.

Contact Alex with tips and feedback at a.rouhandeh@newsweek.com, and stay updated on his reporting by following him on social media at @AlexRouhandeh.

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