By Dustin Rowles | Politics | December 11, 2018 |
By Dustin Rowles | Politics | December 11, 2018 |
Minutes ago in the Oval Office, Donald Trump met with Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi to discuss the upcoming budget. The meeting itself should have been closed to the press, but you know Trump. He never misses an opportunity to make it about the fight in front of the press. This is another one of those “extraordinary” moments in this Presidency, where the President squabbles with Congressional leaders in front of the cameras while Mike Pence sits back and mumbles to himself, “God, when will this all be over?”
Trump, Pelosi and Schumer spar in the Oval Office front of cameras over a deal for funding the government pic.twitter.com/5YdBSSn7UF
— Axios (@axios) December 11, 2018
Basically, all that Trump is done here is to put himself in a bind: Either he doesn’t shut down the government and takes heat from his base for not following through on his promise, or he shuts down the government and takes heat from everyone else, because Trump has taken away any opportunity he might have had to blame it on the Democrats by saying that he would be “proud” to shut down the government.
I’m sure the thousands of government employees would be “proud” to go without a salary while Trump waits for funding for an unpopular Wall from Congressional leaders who will never give it to him. Nor should they.
In the meantime, Pelosi stood her ground, and successfully pushed back.
Twitter was quick to weigh in:
Ooh boy this soundbite. https://t.co/uTJudJ9T3i
— Soledad O'Brien (@soledadobrien) December 11, 2018
Schumer’s facial muscles must be sore from smiling as hard as he did after Trump said he’d gladly shut down the government
— Sam Stein (@samstein) December 11, 2018
One key takeaway. Whatever the criticisms, Democrats would be INSANE not to keep Nancy Pelosi as their leader.
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) December 11, 2018
Pelosi/Schumer clearly the winners on that, and here's the quote:
— Sarah Ferris (@sarahnferris) December 11, 2018
Trump: “I am proud to shut down the government for border security, Chuck… I will be the one to shut it down, I’m not going to blame you for it.”
Chuck looks like he had to restrain himself from jumping up and down in celebration. https://t.co/RTjjgtS3vu
— Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) December 11, 2018
WOW. Sitting in the Oval Office, Sen. Schumer looks to reporters and says, "When the president brags that he got North Dakota and Indiana, he’s in trouble…" President Trump: "I did!"
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) December 11, 2018
mike pence is the worst member of this improv team
— Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) December 11, 2018