At a time of bitter partisan rivalry, U.S. President Donald Trump is working with the opposition party. But it remains unknown whether such a form of bipartisan cooperation will continue, experts said.
Trump in recent weeks extended an olive branch to Democrats, in a bid to get much needed flood relief to victims of Hurricane Harvey, which ravaged the city of Houston, Texas in recent weeks.
Trump saw compromise with Democrats as the fastest way to pass relief legislation. To satisfy Democrats, Trump had to tie the bill an increase in the U.S. borrowing limit for around three months -- to the chagrin of 90 lawmakers in his own party that refused to back the bill.
Some experts said the bipartisan cooperation is unlikely to last.
"I don't see the alliance with Democrats happening on a widespread basis," Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Darrell West told Xinhua.
Indeed, the GOP could put a stop to too much cooperation between the White House and Democrats.
"GOP leaders can refuse to bring their bills to the floor of the House and Senate. If Trump leans too far in favor of Democrats, Republicans will retaliate by preventing votes on the legislation. They simply can refuse to allow votes on things Trump and Democrats want to do," West said.
Trump is not working with Democrats out of feelings of good will, but rather because they can deliver votes for him, as the billionaire businessman-turned-politician took office many months ago and still hasn't delivered on any major promises, experts said.
"The president is worried that he has no legislative victories despite GOP majorities in the House and Senate.
It now is the ninth month of his term and Republicans have not passed any significant legislation. Trump is frustrated with his own party and is seeking if Democrats can help him achieve a few things," West said.
Other experts, however, believe the cooperation could continue.
Dan Mahaffee, senior vice president and director of policy at the Center for the Study of Congress and the Presidency, told Xinhua: "Trump is working with Democrats because he can cobble together some coalitions of moderate Democrats and moderate Republicans to move on disaster aid."
"However, on bigger issues like tax reform and healthcare, there are significant challenges towards keeping that kind of coalition together," Mahaffee said.
"This allows Trump to bypass some of the Freedom Caucus members who have completely paralyzed the Republican agenda due to their demands for ideological orthodoxy," Mahaffee said, referring to the very conservative branch of the GOP.
It remains unknown whether Trump's bipartisan cooperation will irk his base, which voted him into the White House partly on their dislike of the previous Democratic administration. But some experts believe Trump's base wants to see action, and may not be particularly hung up on political loyalties.
"I think that Trump can continue this cooperation with Democrats because much of his coalition is eager for action of some form, rather than political consistency," Mahaffee said.
West said: "His supporters will adopt a wait-and-see attitude on the Democratic alliance. It will make them nervous, but they also will want to see what Trump can get out of it."
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