President Donald Trump, who often cares more about personal chemistry than political ideology, brought the officials to the White House and showed the exuberance and the bipartisan spirit that has gripped him in the last 48 hours. | Alex Brandon/AP Trump, jovial after debt deal, turns meeting into a freewheeling affair

President Donald Trump repeatedly said Thursday how thrilled he was to strike a deal on the debt ceiling with Sen. Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader he has accused of shedding "fake tears" and whom he once called a “head clown.”

In an Oval Office meeting with the New York and New Jersey congressional delegations, he repeatedly shook Schumer’s hand and kept him after for a private session, his third chat with the Democrat in 30 hours.


He praised Gov. Andrew Cuomo — who also attended the meeting and who has often torched Trump but without mentioning his name — for his work on the Tappan Zee Bridge and other New York projects. “My governor!” he said to Cuomo, according to Rep. Peter King, a New York Republican.

He told the room that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie coached him in the 2016 presidential debates against Hillary Clinton, and that “Hillary was easy” after dealing with “Chris.” He wished Christie, whose birthday was Wednesday, a happy one. “You should give him a tunnel for his birthday,” Schumer said, drawing laughs from the room, referring to the Gateway rail-expansion project.

Trump, a New York real estate developer who often cares more about personal chemistry than political ideology, brought the officials to the White House and showed the exuberance and the bipartisan spirit that has gripped him in the past 48 hours. He seemed thrilled that all the power players in his former life were in the Oval Office, seeking his approval and asking him for help.

The meeting was ostensibly about a $30 billion Gateway tunnel that New York and New Jersey leaders want the federal government to pay half of. The White House gave a sanitized readout, saying all the parties cooperated. “The president and his administration remain committed to creating a robust infrastructure package that will modernize and transform our nation’s infrastructure,” the White House statement said.

Officials said there was no promise that the project would happen, but Trump was optimistic. “He didn’t say, ‘OK, go ahead.’ What he said was that he clearly understood how essential and important it is,” said Rep. Josh Gottheimer, a New Jersey Democrat. “He said he would have a couple meetings with his staff and get back to us.”

With Trump, observers say people often leave meetings feeling as if they have won his approval — only to learn later they haven’t. He often agrees with whomever he speaks to, according to aides and advisers. And the president’s continued good moods — spurred by positive media coverage and what he sees as progress — could be derailed any minute.

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But those present said Trump seemed happy to be talking about his home state and his history as a builder there, including negotiations over the West Side railyard decades ago. He asked specific questions about the Tappan Zee Bridge, which connects New York City with its western suburban counties, a favored project of Cuomo.

He was engaged on Sandy recovery, talking about the 2012 hurricane that slammed New York and how it affected tunnel travel into and from the city. He told the governors that he wanted to help on LaGuardia, John F. Kennedy and Newark airports, and listened to a fairly lengthy presentation on the tunnel, showing more of an attention span than he sometimes does.

“He was really interested in the bidding process,” King said. “He wanted to know all about it.”

During the meeting, he repeatedly told the room how happy he was to work with Schumer on a debt deal, a move that has angered many Republicans. Trump surprised his own party by agreeing on Wednesday to a three-month extension of the debt ceiling, overruling leadership and his treasury secretary.

“He looked at me and said, ‘What kind of impact do you think it had?’” King said. “I told him I thought it was fantastic and we needed more of it.” Others in the room agreed.

One attendee said that Trump told the room that the deal would bring in a new bipartisan spirit. “He said after yesterday, we’re going to do things in a bipartisan way,” this person said, describing Trump’s comments. “No one really knows what we announced, but it was bipartisan.”

The president, though, had one gripe, after his visit from the emir of Kuwait on Thursday afternoon. He was very impressed by the emir’s plane but noted that it was longer than his — maybe even by 100 feet.

