Trump lauds McConnell as longtime friend, urges Clinton to ‘run again’

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s feud with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell seems to be over.

At a joint news conference in the Rose Garden, Trump said they are “closer than ever before.”

Hillary Clinton?

No so much.

“Oh, I hope Hillary runs,” Trump said. “Is she going to run? I hope. Hillary, please run again!”

The president went after Clinton for her recent defense of NFL players who have taken a knee during the playing of the national anthem.

“Well, that’s why she lost the election,” Trump said. “Honestly, it’s that thinking — that is the reason she lost the election.”

The former secretary of state and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee said the players were demonstrating in a peaceful way against racism and injustice.

“I think she’s wrong,” the president said. “Look, when they take a knee — there’s plenty of time to do knees and there’s plenty of time to do lots of other things. But when you take a knee … when you go down and take a knee or any other way, you’re sitting essentially for our great national anthem, you’re disrespecting our flag and you’re disrespecting our country.”

“And if Hillary Clinton actually made the statement that, in a form, sitting down during the playing of our great national anthem is not disrespectful, then I fully understand why she didn’t win. I mean look, there are a lot of reasons that she didn’t win, including the fact that she was not good at what she did. But I will tell you that is something that I had just heard about, and I think that her statement in itself is very disrespectful to our country.”

As for McConnell, Trump said he and the Kentucky Republican are “closer than ever before.”

“We’ve been friends for a long time,” Trump said. “We are probably now, despite what we read, we’re probably now — I think, at least as far as I’m concerned — closer than ever before. And the relationship is very good.”

“We’re fighting for the same thing,” Trump said.

The president says that Republicans are “close” on health care legislation and said they are working together on a tax overhaul.

Trump and McConnell came to the Rose Garden to talk to reporters after they had lunch together at the White House.

McConnell echoed Trump, saying, “We have the same agenda. We’ve been friends and acquaintances for a long time. We talk frequently.”

The Senate majority leader is pushing back against the notion that he and Trump are at odds. McConnell said they talk frequently on weekends.

The Kentucky senator says he and the president are working on the budget, a tax overhaul and a funding bill to address the recent spate of hurricanes.

McConnell says, “We’re together totally on this agenda to move America forward.”

As for former White House adviser Steve Bannon going after some McConnell allies, Trump said Bannon is doing what he “thinks is the right thing” but he will try to talk him out of seeking primaries against some Senate Republicans.

The president was asked Monday asked about Bannon’s attempt to unseat certain Senate Republicans who are aligned with McConnell.

“Steve is doing what Steve thinks is the right thing” Trump said. “Some of the people that he may be looking at, I’m going to see if we talk him out of that, because, frankly, they’re great people. . . . We have a fantastic relationship. I’m friends with most of them, I can say. And I don’t think anybody could have much of a higher percentage. But I’m friends with most of them. I like and respect most of them, and I think they like and respect me. Just so you understand, the Republican Party is very, very unified.”

McConnell said in the Rose Garden that his goal is to keep Republicans in the majority by supporting Republicans who can win in November.

“You have to have nominate people who can actually win, because winners make policy and losers go home,” McConnell said.

Trump also said is not considering firing special counsel Robert Mueller but would like to see a conclusion to his investigation into Russian interference in the presidential election.

“I’d like to see it end,” Trump said.

Asked about Mueller’s investigation into potential coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign, Trump says: “The whole Russia thing was an excuse for the Democrats losing the election, and it turns out to be just one excuse.”

“So there has been absolutely no collusion. It’s been stated that they have no collusion. They ought to get to the end of it because I think the American public is sick of it.”

Still, Trump says he is not considering firing Mueller.

“No, not at all,” Trump said.