Donald Trump vowed to shut down the government over immigration as Republican strategists have figured out that his wall is toxic to the party.
This is what Trump said while meeting with Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer via the White House transcript:
I am proud to shut down the government for border security, Chuck because the people of this country don’t want criminals and people that have lots of problems and drugs pouring into our country. So I will take the mantle. I will be the one to shut it down. I’m not going to blame you for it. The last time you shut it down, it didn’t work. I will take the mantle of shutting down.
HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: That is (inaudible).
THE PRESIDENT: And I’m going to shut it down for border security.
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Video:
Trump walks into a massive trap and proclaims that he is proud to shut the government down to get his wall. pic.twitter.com/KsPLfMLncR
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) December 11, 2018
The problem is that Trump’s immigration position is toxic for the GOP
The Washington Examiner reported:
Republican operatives in the 2018 trenches, now formulating battle plans for the next election, are backing the suburban Republicans blaming Trump for their ejection from Congress. In reviewing polling and other data, they discovered that the president’s provocative immigration rhetoric was more damaging to the House GOP during the final seven to 10 days than they realized at the time.
Trump hammered on the migrant caravan as he barnstormed red states to stump for Republican Senate candidates in the homestretch while also raising the specter of eliminating birthright citizenship for the children of immigrants. The president’s near-singular focus on those issues repelled Hispanics, independents and soft Republicans, turning a race for House control that leaned Democratic into a late-breaking GOP bloodbath.
Trump Is Setting Himself And The GOP Up For A 2020 Bloodbath
Trump is behaving like a president who has the American people on his side, but he doesn’t. The wall is wildly unpopular with non-Trump Republicans, Independents, and Democrats. Trump has already written the news stories himself by claiming ownership of the shut down before it happens. Republicans are already sensing that Trump is leading them to doom in 2020, and his meltdown during his first post-midterm meeting with Democrats signals that the worst is yet to come.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
