'Larger Than Life': Boehner Sees Trump As Modern-Day Teddy Roosevelt
CINCINNATI (CBS/AP) — Former U.S. House Speaker John Boehner sees President-elect Donald Trump as a modern-day Teddy Roosevelt, a populist who wants to do "big things."
The West Chester, Ohio, Republican tells WCPO.com in Cincinnati that Trump is also like the 26th president in seeing himself as "larger than life." He says Trump doesn't want to just "trim around the edges."
He says Trump doesn't bring a traditional ideology to the White House, and understands the need to work in a bipartisan way to get things done. He adds that Trump can also take his case directly to the American people.
Boehner who resigned in 2015 after nearly 25 years in Congress says he is still adjusting to private life, but enjoys it and has caught up on household chores.
In an interview with VICE News in October, the former House speaker said Trump was "barely a Republican."
"He kind of became a Republican in order to run. But his ideas, when you can get to them, are frankly more in the direction that I would want the country to go to than Hillary Clinton," Boehner said.
He continued, "While Donald wasn't my first choice, wasn't my second choice, wasn't even my third choice, he's the nominee so I'm going to vote for him."
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