Newsmax Media CEO Christopher Ruddy said Thursday "that was the real Donald Trump we saw last night" at his meeting at the White House with top Democrats Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi.
"A unifier, he reaches out, he compromises, he wants to bring people together," Ruddy told Ari Melber on MSNBC. "We're seeing that."
Trump met with Schumer, the Senate minority leader from New York, and Pelosi, his House counterpart who represents California, to discuss tax reform and other issues.
"The president is the type of guy that approaches things differently than politicians," Ruddy told Melber. "It is one of the reasons he got elected.
"Let's applaud that he is making a bipartisan approach. And he is rethinking a lot of his positions.
"This is a really positive thing," he added. "Instead of looking to the past, I think we should be looking proactively here."
Shortly after the dinner, Schumer and Pelosi said they had reached a deal with President Trump to protect the 800,000 illegals under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that did not include provision for a wall on the southern U.S. border.
The White House disputed the claim — and Trump said Thursday he was "fairly close" to a deal on DACA but later insisted, "If we don't have a wall, we're doing nothing."
Ruddy told Melber the deal "absolutely" remained on the table.
"They're saying there's no formal deal," he said of Trump.
"I think Chuck and Nancy jumped the gun a little bit," he explained. "They should have allowed the president to speak with the Republicans to make sure they were on board with this.
"They didn't give them any breathing time," Ruddy said. "I don't think they were expecting the announcement.
"The overall picture is really good.
"Give him a little time," the Newsmax CEO advised. "Why don't we applaud him when he does something in a bipartisan fashion."