So there’s been some chatter on Twitter that Trump is open the the 2013 Gang of 8 comprehensive immigration bill. It’s being reported that Manchin is source:
!!!!! Trump told senators he is open to Gang of 8 immigration bill, per Manchin. Lamar brought it up during meeting and need for reform
— Seung Min Kim (@seungminkim) February 9, 2017
Then came this tweet from NBC’s Kasie Hunt:
Sen. Manchin said he tried to explain path to legalization."That doesn't like amnesty to me," Trump said (in Manchin's telling)
— Kasie Hunt (@kasie) February 9, 2017
She finally put out the transcript of this exchange with Manchin, that sounds like a better representation of what was said:
Joe Manchin on @realDonaldTrump Gang of 8 bill comments pic.twitter.com/gIP2G62e0H
— Kasie Hunt (@kasie) February 9, 2017
I know there’s a lot of outrage out there when it comes to Trump and his shifting positions, but I really don’t think this is indicative of that. After all he’s shown that he’s willing to talk to both sides, as demonstrated by his talks with Al Gore just before he nominated Scott Pruitt to the EPA.
So I say take this with a grain of salt for now. We’ll know more when Trump, Ryan, and McConnell start putting their heads together for new legislation on immigration that we know is coming at some point.