Trump a Pragmatist and Washington Had to ‘Adapt,’ Kushner Says

President Donald Trump has “grown and grown” in popularity over the course of three years in office because he has taken on Washington, son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner told conservative activists Friday.

“He didn’t adapt to Washington. Washington adapted to him,” Kushner told the annual Conservative Political Action Conference just outside Washington, prompting a huge round of applause. 

The president, his son-in-law added, is a “pragmatist.”

Kushner said Trump did not come to Washington to score political points. Instead, he said, “This is an action president.”

“When he was elected, his favorability rating was 37% on Election Day, according to Real Clear Politics polling. Now it’s up to 46%,” Kushner said. “When people see Washington fighting against him, most people don’t like Washington so they like the fact that he’s fighting Washington.”

Kushner shares the title of senior adviser with his wife, first daughter Ivanka Trump.

The president has followed a clear model, he said. 

“Tell people what you’re going to do, do it, and tell them you did it,” Kushner said. 

The president’s senior adviser noted that the economy is expanding and the job market is growing because of Trump’s commitment to lower taxes and deregulation. 

“The president’s ideology, as I see it, is a pragmatist,” Kushner said. “What I find every day is, people talk about things as one way or the other. We have people who are ideologues. The president is more of a pragmatist. He’s looking to bring the better idea.”

CPAC, the largest annual national gathering of conservative activists, runs Thursday through Saturday at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, just outside Washington.