Punchbowl News: “It was supposed to be a celebratory day for Republicans. Instead, it turned into an absolute mess.”

“President Donald Trump abruptly canceled a signing ceremony for the bipartisan housing deregulation bill this morning, saying Congress first needs to pass the SAVE America Act, his voter-ID-and-citizenship-verification bill.”

“The self-immolation is remarkable, even for Trump. It’s hard to imagine a more straightforward political win for Republicans right now than signing a bill to lower housing costs for Americans.”

Barack Obama said he finds President Donald Trump’s “obsession” with him to be a “strange” thing, Mediaite reports.

Said Obama: “I obviously have a room in his head. A suite in his head.”

He added: “First of all, when I was president, the last thing I had time to do was worry about what somebody said or my predecessor did. They’re gone. I’ve got work to do… It shows me somebody who is not focused on the American people and the job they’re supposed to do.”

“President Trump has nominated a lawyer from a firm that worked on his taxes to become the top attorney at the Internal Revenue Service, an arrangement that could add to the scrutiny that the nomination was already likely to face after the administration granted the president protection from tax audits last month,” the New York Times reports.

Wall Street Journal: President Trump has chosen James Gadwood to be the top lawyer at the Internal Revenue Service.

Andrew Egger: “Trump hasn’t been doing so much winning lately. Islamist regimes abroad and single-celled organisms at home keep disobeying his extremely clear instructions, no matter how many bombs or gallon jugs of hydrogen peroxide he sends their way. Rogue judges keep ordering his name off of buildings, no matter how much he deserves to put it up and how nice it looks once it’s up there.”

“Even his most reliable whipping boys, the Republicans of the United States Congress, have begun to flash a sudden and alarming new modicum of self-respect, with a small but significant number of them voting against his wars and scuttling his slush funds.”

“Yeah, D.C. sort of sucks lately; what Trump needed was a rally. So yesterday he schlepped out to a Mack Trucks factory in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley to get one. These rallies have always been a tonic for Trump; this one felt more like a lifeline. Every stupid threadbare brag line, every completely invented cockamamie anecdote and scripted attack on the ‘Dumocrats’—the crowd, as usual, ate it up with a spoon.”

“President Trump abruptly canceled his plans to sign a bipartisan bill aimed at improving housing affordability, one that Democrats and Republicans alike had been eager to promote on the campaign trail as evidence they were working to try to bring down costs,” the New York Times reports.

“Mr. Trump said in a social media post that he would not sign the bill until Congress passed a law that would impose new restrictions on voter identification and mail-in voting, known as the Save America Act. But Senator John Thune, Republican of South Dakota, has said that Republicans did not have the votes required.”

“Though the president said he would not sign the housing bill, it can still become law without his signature. If Congress is in session, legislation can generally become law 10 days after a bill is enrolled and presented to the president.”

ABC News: Trump cancels signing of bipartisan housing bill until his SAVE America Act is passed.