Politics

Trump calls out McConnell—again—hours after White House says they're 'united'

Key Points
  • President Trump publicly criticizes Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan over the debt ceiling.
  • Hours before, the White House said Trump and McConnell "remain united."
Trump calls out McConnell-again-hours after White House says they're 'united'
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Trump calls out McConnell-again-hours after White House says they're 'united'

So much for a "united" front.

Hours after the White House and Senate Majority Leader threw cold water on reports that the leaders had a tense relationship, President again criticized the Kentucky Republican on Twitter. On Thursday morning, he twice hit McConnell, and criticized House Speaker .

Trump accused them of a reluctance to make it easier to raise the debt ceiling. He contended that raising the United States' borrowing limit "could have been so easy" but is "now a mess!"

Trump: I requested that Mitch M & Paul R tie the Debt Ceiling legislation into the popular V.A. Bill (which just passed) for easy approval. They...

Trump: ...didn't do it so now we have a big deal with Dems holding them up (as usual) on Debt Ceiling approval. Could have been so easy-now a mess!

An hour later, he slammed McConnell again, this time on the Senate's failure to repeal Obamacare.

The only problem I have with Mitch McConnell is that, after hearing Repeal & Replace for 7 years, he failed!That should NEVER have happened!

McConnell on Monday said The U.S. needs to do so before the end of September to avoid defaulting on its debt.

Trump's tweets came a day after the White House and McConnell played down concerns about a reportedly deteriorating relationship between the president and the Senate's top Republican. In a statement Wednesday, the White House said they "remain united on many shared priorities."

McConnell said in a Wednesday statement that he, Trump and both of their teams "have been and continue to be in regular contact about our shared goals."

"We have a lot of work ahead of us, and we are committed to advancing our shared agenda together and anyone who suggests otherwise is clearly not part of the conversation," the senator said.

Trump has repeatedly attacked Republican senators like Jeff Flake of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. He has also urged the Senate to change its rules and chided McConnell for failing to pass an Obamacare repeal bill.

Those .

A New York Times report Tuesday described the president's deteriorating relationship with the GOP Senate leader in great detail. Trump and McConnell have not spoken in weeks, and the senator privately has been skeptical about whether Trump "will be able to salvage his administration," the Times reported.

WATCH: Trump vs. McConnell, where the feud is headed

Trump vs. McConnell: Here's where this crazy feud is headed
VIDEO0:5800:58
Trump vs. McConnell: Here's where this crazy feud is headed