President Donald Trump’s former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski defended the president but slammed Congressional Republicans in a talk with the GW College Republicans in Funger Hall Tuesday.
The event, moderated by Frank Sesno, the director of the School of Media and Public Affairs, mainly focused on Trump’s agenda and the progress that he has made as president.
“I know the president is the type of person, privately, who has been successful his entire life because he’s had the ability to build bridges with people he fundamentally disagrees with,” Lewandowski said.
But Lewandowski, who spearheaded Trump’s campaign during the GOP primaries, denounced the Republican majority in Congress, which has thus far failed to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, despite several attempts.
“I love Republicans, I’ve been a Republican my whole life – what I don’t understand is the first time in our lifetimes, for all intents and purposes, we have not really proved to the American people that the Republican party is the party that’s going to accomplish things,” he said. “That means hold to our campaign promises of repeal and replace Obamacare.”
He said it is “essential” that Republicans pass healthcare reform if they want to succeed in midterm elections next year.
“It is a lengthy process – I understand it, but they had seven years,” Lewandowski said.
Ryan Legault, a freshman member of the College Republicans, said he was surprised that the event did not draw protests on campus, given Lewandowski’s close ties to Trump.
Last year, officials feared that bringing Milo Yiannopoulos to campus for a College Republicans event would draw violent protests. Some of its peer schools, like New York University and the University of Miami, barred Yiannopoulos from campus, but officials allowed him to speak in a one-hour time slot with a GW-only student entrance policy.
“It is nice to see that diversity of opinion was encouraged in this instance and not protested,” Legault said.
Nathan Higgins, a freshman member of the organization, said Lewandowski provided the audience with a unique perspective about winning political races and running campaigns.
“The election of Trump kind of changed politics – there’s a new way to be successful,” Higgins said.
