Republicans are wondering if Trump's pivot to Democrats is real

Democrats and Republicans across Washington have no idea what President Donald Trump will do next.

After Trump stunned both parties this week by defying Republican leaders Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell and making a deal with the Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer on a debt ceiling increase, the Capitol is frozen from the uncertainty of whether this represents a new approach to governing or is a one-time impetuous deal.

Put another way: Is the pivot real?

“I think it’s either an aberration, maybe, but it’s possible that they’ve learned that just riding and hugging the hard right doesn’t work,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told to New York Times. “It’s too early to tell. The proof in the pudding will be in the eating.”

Republican Rep. Mark Meadows, who chairs the influential Freedom Caucus, told MSNBC’s Morning Joe on Friday that he believes it’s more an aberration than a shift in strategy.

“Our grassroots are very confused they are saying ‘Well is this the president going to cut deals with democrats from here on out’ and I would suggest that that’s not the case,” he said. “That’s based on talking to not just the president but also talking Speaker Ryan and others. This was a unique situation because of the devastation in Texas.”

In an Oval Office meeting earlier this week, Schumer convinced the president to reject the advice from Ryan, McConnell, and his own Treasury secretary, Steve Mnuchin who all urged Trump to increase the debt ceiling through the 2018 midterm elections in a package that included money to help aid victims of Hurricane Harvey. Instead, Trump sided with Schumer and Pelosi and agreed to only extend the debt ceiling for three months in the Harvey package which sets up another showdown in December where Republicans need Democratic votes.

Schumer could “speak New York to the president,” Pelosi said afterwards in explaining why Trump sided with them.

Trump seemed to revel in the bipartisan dealmaking, calling Schumer and Pelosi to brag about the news coverage.

“[Trump] said ‘Do you watch Fox News,’ Schumer recalled to the Times’ Carl Hulse. “I said ‘not really’. He said ‘They’re praising you and your stations are praising me. This is great.”

In Washington, few things get a president better news coverage than a bipartisan deal and the famously media-monitoring president may find himself attracted to work more with Schumer and Pelosi. Trump even foreshadowed that possibility in an apology to Republicans (via Twitter) Friday morning where he added that their current strategy is a “death wish.”