Hatch: ‘It doesn’t take any brains to realize’ Trump would be open to dealing with Dems

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) said he believes President Trump is open to working with Democrats.

“I think the Democrats are crazy to not try and deal with him directly,” he said, according to The Washington Post.

“Seven years ago, he was a Democrat. It doesn’t take any brains to realize that he’d be open,” Hatch said.

{mosads}Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) echoed the sentiment, saying the president “feels much more comfortable working and talking in a bipartisan manner than he does trying to defend a partisan side.”

Trump has in the past sought to work with Democrats.

Earlier this year, he struck a deal with Democrats to fund the government and raise the debt ceiling.

Last month, Trump met with congressional Democrats to talk about a deal regarding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

Still, earlier this month, the Trump administration released its list of demands to be included in Congress’s DACA legislation, including funding for Trump’s border wall, which Democrats oppose.

In recent days, Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) have been working to get Trump and congressional Republicans on board with their bipartisan plan to stabilize ObamaCare’s insurance markets.