Talarico appeals to Trump’s vanity as he says nation must turn attention to getting things done

Detailed summary

‘If President Trump wants the same plaques and portraits and busts as LBJ, we can help make that a reality,’ James Talarico said

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Senator-elect James Talarico used an appeal to President Donald Trump’s ego to make the case for bipartisan cooperation Thursday, as the party weighs how to wield its newly won congressional power.

The Texas Democrat delivered the remarks at a party conference in Colorado, where politicians and strategists gathered to chart a course forward after the midterm elections, which saw Democrats reclaim control of the House and Senate.

Talarico, 37, outlined an ambitious agenda: removing money from politics, securing universal health care, overhauling the “broken” immigration system, ending “forever wars,” building millions of homes and regulating artificial intelligence.

“Some of these reforms may not pass until 2029,” he said. “But the American people cannot wait two years for change, so we must work with President Trump.”

Talarico then invoked Trump’s interest in the physical symbols of a presidential legacy, suggesting he could earn recognition on par with Lyndon Johnson, who signed the Civil Rights Act into law.

“If President Trump wants the same plaques and portraits and busts as LBJ, we can help make that a reality,” Talarico said.

“We should make the final two years of his presidency the most productive of any presidency in American history,” he continued. “Because this moment is so much bigger and so much more important than the red team or the blue team.”

Talarico is not the only incoming lawmaker appealing to Trump’s desire to shape how he will be remembered.

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