[Photo: Ted Cruz's Daughters with the President - appearing in Ted's Thursday a.m. Tweet] 

Financialish is not a fan of Donald Trump - never has been, perhaps never will (it appears he’s forever doomed to repeat personal history with his rants, lies and intolerances) - but at least friends and foes know where he's coming from, except, of course, when you don't.

That said, he's repeatedly butted heads bigly with Democratic Congressman Elijah Cummings and Senator Ted Cruz. Yet, there he was, on Wednesday, meeting and eating with both in typical Trumpian style. His afternoon meeting with Cummings ended with very positive feedback. Trump and Cruz had dinner at the White House with their families.

To Be Determined.  Financialishi reserves the right to withhold judgment on whether the positive spin on Wednesday’s events have any lasting effect - knowing Trump's proclivity for quickly switching gears between his public and private demeanors. In other words, stay tuned.

STORY ONE: DEMOCRATS SAY TRUMP LIKES DRUG COST PROPOSAL.    Two House Democrats - Congressmen Elijah Cummings of Maryland and Peter Welch of Vermont - say President Trump was "enthusiastic" about their proposal to address the high cost of prescription drugs - allowing the federal government to negotiate drug prices. After their meeting, Cummings said Trump was enthusiastic and made clear to them that he wants to do something about it.

Cummings also used the opportunity to address 2 thorny issues: (i) voter suppression in any voter fraud investigation; and (ii) the erroneous description of black neighborhoods as places of depression.

STORY TWO:  TRUMPS WERE 'WARM AND GRACIOUS' DINNER HOSTS.   As USA Today puts it, “The Trump-Cruz feud is so 2016.” In a Thursday morning tweet, Ted Cruz described President Trump and first lady Melania as “warm and gracious” at Wednesday night’s dinner at the White House. Cruz posted a photo of his two daughters alongside a seated President in the Oval Office. Daughter Catherine is seen hugging Joe, her stuffed giraffe.

As far as the substantive nature of the dinner, it’s uncertain if the GOP healthcare plan was on the agenda. Neither Trump nor Cruz mentioned details of their dinner conversation. However, it’s common knowledge that Trump supports the plan, while Cruz has expressed skepticism.

For what it’s worth, the White House has pushed back on any attempt by the press to label the bill “TrumpCare.”  

In the meantime, let’s just enjoy the afterglow of a pleasant evening.