As is my usual wont, I’m not going to pronounce my opinion on the God-Emperor’s latest announcement until two days have passed. But it’s difficult to escape the impression that he has badly misread the American people here, or failed to understand that he’s not going to win any more points from the public for “making a deal” than George Bush did in his one and only term.
Yielding to mounting pressure and growing disruption, President Donald Trump and congressional leaders on Friday reached a short-term deal to reopen the government for three weeks while negotiations continue over the president’s demands for money to build his long-promised wall at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Trump announced the agreement to break the 35-day impasse as intensifying delays at the nation’s airports and widespread disruptions brought new urgency to efforts to resolve the standoff.
“I am very proud to announce today that we have reached a deal to end the shutdown and reopen the federal government,” he said from the Rose Garden.
After saying for weeks that he would not reopen the government without border wall money, Trump said he would soon sign a bill to re-open the government through Feb. 15 without additional money for his signature campaign promise. He said that a bipartisan committee of lawmakers would be formed to consider border spending before the new deadline.
“They are willing to put partisanship aside, I think, and put the security of the American people first,” Trump said. He asserted that “barrier or walls will be an important part of the solution.”
Mounting pressure from whom? One of the most remarkable things about this shutdown is the fact that virtually no one outside of Washington DC has been negatively affected by it.
Donald Trump was elected to do two things: Drain the Swamp and Build the Wall. Precisely none of his supporters give a fraction of a quantum of a damn about “getting the government back to work” or “getting the Democrats on board” or “making a really, really great deal”. That was the case in 2016. It is still the case now.
It is looking more and more as if Trump is not a wartime consigliere, which is unfortunate because America is at war. And here is a hint: if the headlines are going to read “Trump caves”, then you probably shouldn’t agree to it.
Trump caves: President agrees to open paralysed US government for THREE WEEKS after 35-day shutdown – but claims he’ll shut it down again or declare a national emergency to build border wall if Congress doesn’t fund it
Does anyone doubt that the Democrats and Republican Establishment believe he’s just bluffing at this point? Anyhow, as always, wait two days.