On Wednesday, The Washington Post reported on how President Joe Biden set a trap for House Speaker Mike Johnson. When Biden called congressional leaders in for a meeting that was ostensibly about preventing a government shutdown, the president—along with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell—instead hit Johnson with a plan for a new assistance package for Ukraine.
Biden piled on facts and presentations, warning Johnson of the consequences of failing to send more aid. The three congressional leaders jumped in to emphasize the historic importance of preventing Russia’s profiting from an illegal, unprovoked invasion. And at the end of that meeting, Biden pulled Johnson aside for a one-on-one discussion.
What Biden said to Johnson when they were alone isn’t known. But if anyone doubts Biden’s effectiveness as a forceful negotiator, they need only look at the $95 billion package that Biden signed this week.
“We rose to the moment, we came together, and we got it done,” Biden said.
And that is the real art of the deal.
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