Master “Negotiator” Trump Just Caved On His Wall, Deal Failed
White House officials are quietly signaling that they are already capitulating on the fight to fund the border wall, recognizing that the great “dealmaker” will once again be forced to admit defeat on one of his signature campaign promises..
Per White House official, Trump has started backing off on border wall funding, saying the administration could return to it in Sept.
— Rebecca Ballhaus (@rebeccaballhaus) April 24, 2017
President Trump has threatened to allow the government to shut down if the next Congressional spending bill doesn’t include any funding for his wall, desperately needing a victory as the 100-day mark approaches without a single Trump achievement.
But the New York Times is now reporting that “he would settle for additional funds for border security — potentially including at least part of the wall, according to a senior administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity,” a result that will not appease his base, which is very much expecting a literal wall.
Some chatter on CapHill that Trump could agree to border security provisions like blimps, fences motion detectors & call it a "wall"
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) April 24, 2017
It appears that Trump doesn’t have the support he needs on Capitol Hill, much of his political capital having been already squandered on previous defeats. Not a single politician from the border states are in favor of constructing the wall.The increasingly unpopular Republicans in Congress cannot afford to take the blame for a government shutdown, having already been humiliated by their inability to pass an Obamacare replacement bill earlier this year.
The increasingly unpopular Republicans in Congress cannot afford to take the blame for a government shutdown, having already been humiliated by their inability to pass an Obamacare replacement bill earlier this year.
Border wall ultimatum starting to look more and more like AHCA: big, tough-talking threats followed by humiliating concession and climb down
— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) April 24, 2017
Trump’s proposed “big beautiful” wall across the Mexican border would be enormously expensive and would be largely ineffective at halting the flow of drugs into the United States as Trump promises it would.
The signal from the White House that they are already backing off on paying for the border wall means that Trump will have failed to have followed through on a single one of his campaign promises.
It will be very entertaining watching how his fans will try spin this one.
Opinion columnist and former editor-in-chief of Occupy Democrats. He graduated from Bennington College with a Bachelor's degree in history and political science. He now focuses on advancing the cause of social justice and equality in America.