President Donald Trump will emerge from the longest government shutdown in U. S. history politically weakened, his reputation questioned and his signature campaign promise still glaringly unfulfilled…
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump will emerge from the longest government shutdown in U. S. history politically weakened, his reputation questioned and his signature campaign promise still glaringly unfulfilled.
The 35-day partial shutdown over the president’s demand for billions of dollars to build a wall along the U. S.-Mexico border was, in the end, futile. Facing defections within his own party, sagging poll numbers and public criticism for interrupted services, the self-proclaimed master dealmaker accepted an agreement that he had previously spurned and set an ignominious record that will remain part of his legacy. Days after Trump marked the midpoint of his term, the shutdown highlighted the disquieting side effects of his unconventional governing style and the trials that lie ahead for him in dealing with emboldened Democrats.
The folly of the effort was readily apparent inside the White House, where aides had warned Trump even before the shutdown began that there was no avenue to success in the showdown with Capitol Hill. Democrats ran for office on preventing Trump from building the wall — and it’s hardly a popular idea even among Republican lawmakers. Advisers watched in shock as Trump declared in a December meeting with lawmakers that he would be „proud“ to shut down the government.
And when he ultimately did just that, they feared the messaging war had already been lost.
„He was playing double-A ball against major leaguers,“ said former Republican Rep.
