UPDATE (1-17-19): There was a trip scheduled, but it was nothing like the trip that Trump made up. The trip Trump canceled was something that he imagined that had nothing to do with the government shutdown. Pelosi was going to Afghanistan to see the troops and gather intel. The trip that Trump described was not what Speaker Pelosi was doing. You can read more about it here.:

Trump sent a letter to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi trying to cancel her international trip, but the problem is that Pelosi wasn’t even going on the trip.

The problem is that House Democrats already announced that they would be in session on Tuesday and passing bills to end the shutdown. Pelosi had already changed the schedule herself.

Here is the letter that Trump sent Pelosi:

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As Rep. Dan Kildee (D-MI) told MSNBC, “It is an example of how petty and small the president can be. On Tuesday the speaker made it clear that all members are going to be in Washington. It is not as business as usual for us. We’ll be legislating. The Speaker made it clear that all bets are off. We are going to stay here to do our work until we get a solution.”

Video:

Trump canceled a trip that Pelosi wasn’t going on

This is what now passes for “winning” in the Trump White House. Trump was trying to get even with Pelosi for uninviting him to the State Of The Union. Unfortunately, no one in the White House seems to pay attention to what’s going on in Congress. Sarah Sanders released Trump’s propaganda letter clueless to the fact that the House was already going to be in session next week.

Trump can’t play this game, and when he tries, he humiliates himself and his efforts totally backfire. This is getting embarrassing and painful to watch. Trump just needs to grow up and reopen the government.

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Jason Easley

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