Seizing defeat from the jaws of victory, President Donald J. Trump has trumpeted his intent to invoke his emergency powers to build a wall on the southern border even as he plans to sign the bipartisan deal to fund the government and avert a shutdown, because, you know, a shutdown is “a terrible thing,” especially if it adversely affects your ratings, er, polling numbers.
Trump’s getting $1.375 billion for 55 miles of fencing, the same amount that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer offered him in December, which was $4.3 billion less than he asked for during the impasse that led to the shutdown. It’s also $23.625 billion less than the Democrats offered when the Republicans controlled both houses of Congress in exchange for a path to citizenship for the 1.8 million responsible residents who had been brought to this country illegally as children, the so-called Dreamers.
Yes, Trumpettes, we know House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said not $1 for the immoral wall; the Dreamers still don’t have a path to citizenship (though they are safe for now) and Trump’s getting more detention beds. (You know how the hotelier likes a good bed.) But if Pelosi got played, why is former Trumpanista Ann Coulter so unhappy?
He managed to negotiate $25 billion and 1,000 miles of a concrete wall down to $1.375 billion for 55 miles of fencing. And stop saying that it was $25 billion over 10 years. Which would you rather have — $1.375 billion or $25 billion spread over 10 years, which comes out to $2.5 billion a year?
It turns out there is $23 billion, but that’s for custom agents and humanitarian aid not for a wall.
Which leaves Trump poised to declare an emergency, because, let’s face it. He got played — again.