Politics

Trump celebrates tax bill with GOP leaders: 'We are making America great again'

Key Points
  • President Donald Trump on Wednesday said that negotiating the massive Republican tax cut bill was "an amazing experience" and "a lot of fun."
  • "Merry Christmas, America," Vice President Mike Pence told an audience of supporters gathered on the White House lawn after the bill passed the House and Senate.
  • The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will not be signed by the president until next year, however, so the event was not a formal signing ceremony.
Trump praises GOP leadership on passing tax reform
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Trump praises GOP leadership on passing tax reform

President Donald Trump on Wednesday called the massive Republican tax cut bill "an amazing experience," and a boon to American companies and workers.

"We are making America great again," he said, echoing his campaign slogan.

"I campaigned on the fact that we're not going to lose our companies anymore," Trump said. "We are going to see at least $4 trillion come back into this country."

Trump spoke flanked by Republican congressional leaders at a special White House lawn event to mark the passage of the tax bill. "We had a lot of fun," Trump said of negotiations between the White House and Congress on the $1.5 trillion legislation.

After the president's remarks, House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., took the stage and praised Trump's "exquisite presidential leadership."

Then Vice President Mike Pence weighed in: "Merry Christmas, America."

Trump also invited Alaska's two Republican senators, Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, to the podium, where they praised the tax bill's inclusion of a provision to open up the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge to increased energy exploration.

Utah Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch called Trump "one heck of a leader."

The tax reform package passed the House and Senate this week, but will likely not be signed by the president until next year. The bill consists of massive, permanent tax cuts for corporations, and more moderate, temporary tax cuts for individuals.