Trump: 'I will be blaming Mnuchin and Cohn' for any trouble with tax reform

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and economic adviser Gary Cohn will stay in Washington as the president travels to Asia — and they can shoulder the blame if tax reform fails.

“Key administration officials, including Secretary Mnuchin and Gary Cohn, will be staying back from the trip to Asia to remain vigilant and making sure the tax cuts pass,” the president told reporters during a Cabinet meeting at the White House. “So if I have any problems, I will be blaming Mnuchin and Cohn. Believe me, they’ll be hearing from me.”


People in the room laughed at the remark. But Trump also said that Mnuchin and Cohn will “do very well.” He said his administration is already “doing very well.”

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House Republicans are expected to unveil their bill on Thursday. They delayed their initial unveiling, which was expected Wednesday morning, to finalize key details. In Trump’s telling: “They have taken a few extra hours.”

“The House, I must tell you, they’ve been working really hard, and they’ve been coming up with a great plan,” Trump said. “And the Senate’s coming up with a great plan. And they’re gonna be put together, and something’s going to come out of that that will be, I think, really, really something very special.”

