‘She Crushed Him Like a Bug’

A defeated President Donald Trump has finally agreed to end his 35-day shutdown of the federal government, saying he will sign funding bills that will re-open the government. Those bills have no money for his border wall. In fact, he has caved to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, getting only what he would have gotten had he allowed the Senate to pass the bills the House passed over a month ago.

This is his second defeat since Nancy Pelosi became Speaker of the House just three weeks ago. President Trump went down in huge defeat over his demand to deliver the State of the Union address during the government shutdown.

Losing the shutdown war he waged for over a month, at the behest of far right wing pundits including Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh, is a massive defeat for the President who promised for years he would “build the wall and Mexico will pay for it,” and later, promising to “own” the shutdown, and allow the government to stay closed for months or possibly years.

On social media, relief the shutdown will be over and federal employees will (hopefully) soon receive their paychecks was palpable, but so was the utter and sheer disdain for Trump. The mockery was intensely evident.

Take a look:

The worst deal maker in the history of Earth.

— Pete Souza (@PeteSouza) January 25, 2019

So Trump is agreeing to the EXACT SAME DEAL he rejected 35 days ago. What a debacle. I’m so so sorry, America.

— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) January 25, 2019

Live video of Nancy Pelosi arriving at the Captiol to reopen the government. pic.twitter.com/199R6dshNH

— Ian Millhiser (@imillhiser) January 25, 2019

When you have to argue that your signature proposal is not “medieval” you are definitely losing the political debate. pic.twitter.com/79OhTAatqa

— Adam Best (@adamcbest) January 25, 2019

The Art of the Cave

— Dan Pfeiffer (@danpfeiffer) January 25, 2019

The Art of the Deal

1. Trump agrees to Pelosi’s demand to reopen government temporarily.

2. He gets no border wall funding.

3. He accepts Democrats’ argument that we don’t need a full border wall.

4. He accepts Democrats’ argument for modern border technology instead. pic.twitter.com/BaWcuOttrn

— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) January 25, 2019

Trump: “I demand that you fund my wall!”

Dems: “no.”

Rose Garden press conference:

Trump: “okay.”

ART OF THE DEAL

— Matthew Kick (@MatthewKick) January 25, 2019

Prediction: There will not be another shutdown during the Trump presidency. This one was too catastrophic and too big a defeat…and by defeat I mean a complete, 100%, total, utter and absolute defeat. It is petty to say @SpeakerPelosi won. But she crushed him like a bug.

— David Rothkopf (@djrothkopf) January 25, 2019

So much for Art of the Deal. Nancy Pelosi wins against Donald Trump twice in one week. #TrumpCaves pic.twitter.com/oOYTjgWDnt

— Janet Shan (@hinterlandg) January 25, 2019

“He’s not going to sign a bill that doesn’t have money for the wall… if he gives in now, that’s the end of 2019 in terms of him being an effective president. That’s probably the end of his presidency.”

– Lindsey Graham, January 2

— Dave Weigel (@daveweigel) January 25, 2019

“Deals are my art form.” Am reminded right now of the opening paragraph of TRUMP: THE ART OF THE DEAL: pic.twitter.com/iCvSjJEbhH

— Carlos Lozada (@CarlosLozadaWP) January 25, 2019

Sen. Tester: “He shut it down. Was it worth it? It’s the most stupid shutdown I’ve ever seen in my life”

“He should go back to school and find out what civics is about and find out if you don’t have the votes you don’t shut the government down”

— Burgess Everett (@burgessev) January 25, 2019

Everyone except the president of the United States seems to realize the only way the shutdown will end is with a compromise on his part.

A Wall Street Journal report on Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s decision to hold the State of the Union until the shutdown is over quoted a White House official admitting President Donald Trump will be forced to compromise.

“There’s going to have to be a reality check moment that what he signs might not be what he’s been saying he needs,” a White House official said. “I don’t see how this can stretch much longer without becoming disastrous for everyone.”

Democrats have eagerly offered additional money for border security, despite the president not spending the money he was given last year. But Trump has refused to accept the deal because it doesn’t’ fund his wall.

A majority of Americans blame Trump for the shutdown and a majority of Americans also don’t want his wall. Instead, most support sensible border security as well as comprehensive immigration reform.

Read the full report at The Journal.

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TRUMP HAS ‘NOWHERE TO GO’ AND WILL BECOME MORE UNPOPULAR—NO MATTER HOW THE SHUTDOWN ENDS: CNN POLLING ANALYST

POLL: TRUMP OWNS SHUTDOWN, NO REAL CRISES, BUT MORE SUPPORTING BORDER WALL

Image by Gage Skidmore via Flickr and a CC license

In a tweet sent Saturday evening, President Trump may have undone limitations by his own White House placed on the FBI investigation allegations of sexual assault levied against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

The tweet in question, from Donald Trump’s personal account, is attacking NBC reporting of the FBI probe, claiming that his office will allow the FBI to “interview whoever they deem appropriate.”

NBC News incorrectly reported (as usual) that I was limiting the FBI investigation of Judge Kavanaugh, and witnesses, only to certain people. Actually, I want them to interview whoever they deem appropriate, at their discretion. Please correct your reporting!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2018

NBC news had reported on significant limitations on the scope of the FBI’s investigation, including barring investigation of claims of sexual misconduct against Kavanaugh brought forth by Julie Swetnick. The Wall Street Journal also reported on these same limitations.

The report had said that the White House counsel’s office had given the FBI a lot of the people they were permitted to interview, which would make it difficult for the FBI to follow leads and bring in corroborating witnesses.

Don McGahn is the current White House counsel, and a friend of Kavanaugh. Donald Trump had previously announced the departure of McGahn from the position after the presumed confirmation of Kavanaugh.

It may seem odd that a presidential social media account could up-end limitations placed on the FBI by the counsel, but the Department of Justice made just this case in November of last year, telling a district court that his tweets are “official statements of the President of the United States.”

It is also worth noting that McGahn has no legal authority to direct or limit the FBI’s work, and that the President would hold sway over McGahn.

The new Trump tweet seems to contradict the presidents own statement from the 28th, saying that the FBI’s investigation would be “limited in scope.”

Image by Gage Skidmore via Flickr and a CC license