One of President Donald Trump's closest supporters had some critical things to say about the man occupying the Oval Office in a new interview.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich appeared on "The Laura Ingraham Show" Friday and said Trump's verbal attacks on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell are the wrong approach to attempting to pass legislation on Capitol Hill.
"I don't think it makes any sense. First of all, 49 out of the 52 Republicans voted yes [to keep McConnell as majority leader]," Gingrich said. "All these conservatives decided to pick a fight with McConnell, they're not out picking a fight with the 10 Democrats from states Trump carried.
"I think it's totally misplaced. And furthermore, McConnell's going to still be there. You don't pick a fight with a guy you need as a teammate, and they're not going to replace McConnell. And so I don't understand what the president thinks he's accomplishing."
Gingrich has defended Trump for months as criticisms about the president have come in from all sides, including the Republican Party. But he said Friday it appears Trump is firing from the hip with his calls for McConnell to "get back to work."
"I don't think there is [a strategy]. The president has this instinct for being aggressive and he's unhappy, but he also doesn't want to take responsibility," Gingrich said.
"He talks about how Mitch has to get this done — well, this is a team. The president is a key member of the team. You could argue he's the leader of the team, so if things aren't working, maybe, he needs to take part of the ownership here."
Earlier this week, McConnell said Trump entered the White House with "excessive expectations."
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