President Donald Trump said Thursday the Middle East is easier to deal with than Democrats as he praised the opening of diplomatic ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.
"The Middle East is more reasonable," Trump said in the Oval Office, after asking Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin if he found Democrats or the Middle East easier to deal with in negotiations.
Mnuchin, who is trying to broker an agreement on Capitol Hill on another round of coronavirus relief, said he was hopeful he could deal with the Democrats, given the surprising nature of the Israel-UAE agreement.
In a deal brokered by the Trump administration, the UAE became the first Gulf Arab country to establish official relations with Israel.
Democrats and Republicans are at loggerheads in relief negotiations, with the two sides $1 trillion apart on how much to appropriate for the ongoing crisis.