Fox News Editorial Warns Trump to End the Shutdown ‘Now’

A Fox News editorial published yesterday says that if Donald Trump doesn’t end his shutdown soon he will have no chance of being reelected as president in 2020.

Since the shutdown began, numerous polls have shown President Donald Trump’s disapproval rating increasing to record highs. In addition, his approval rating, which has been steady since becoming president, has slipped to new low levels.

It was in reaction to these indicators of negative public opinion about Trump’s shutdown that Fox News published an opinion column, written by pundit Doug Schoen, warning the president that he needs to reopen the government ‘now’ or face certain defeat in 2020.

The editorial took Trump to task for saying on camera last year, during his White House meeting with Democratic leaders, that he would be “proud” to shut down the government if he did not get the money he has asked for to fund his long-promised border wall.

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During that meeting Trump said he would own the shutdown, leaving him no room to credibly blame Democrats for the current situation which everyone knows he caused.

According to the Fox News columnist:

“With most Americans blaming him for the continued government shutdown, the president’s power to negotiate grows weaker every day. It is obvious now that President Trump’s action to shut down part of the government to receive funding for his border wall has backfired. For the sake of his presidency and the country, it is time to reopen the government.”

The column makes a point of pointing out to the president that his bargaining position will keep getting weaker the longer the shutdown lasts. In addition, as more Americans feel the negative effects of a long shutdown, and as they blame him, the shutdown is likely to severely cripple his reelection campaign.

“For President Trump to have any chance at winning again in 2020, he will need to end the shutdown immediately and take whatever money the Democrats are now willing to provide,” Schoen wrote. “By doing this, he can say that the shutdown has been a victory because border security has gotten more funding than it previously had.”

Fox News is worried that the shutdown will hurt Trump’s chances in 2020, and they are certainly correct about that. The shutdown will turn out to be a disaster for not only Trump but also for the Republican Party and the entire country. It is good that at least some people at Fox News recognize the truth, and know that the shutdown needs to end “now.”

Leo Vidal

I am a lifelong Democrat with a passion for social justice and progressive issues. I have degrees in writing, economics and law from the University of Iowa.