President Trump sticks with his hard-line stance, insisting the US will build a physical wall on the Mexico border.

We Will Build the Wall

21 days goes very quickly. Negotiations with Democrats will start immediately. Will not be easy to make a deal, both parties very dug in. The case for National Security has been greatly enhanced by what has been happening at the Border & through dialogue. We will build the Wall!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 26, 2019

Trump Refers to Himself in the Second Tense

“We absolutely need a physical barrier or Wall, whatever you want to call it. The President yesterday laid all that out. We need to do it all, including the Wall. I provided the same information to the previous administration, & it was ignored.” Mark Morgan, Border Chief for “O”!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 26, 2019

Resistance is Futile

Please consider President Trump, Day After Shutdown Ends, Says ‘We Will Build the Wall’.

President Trump showed no sign Saturday he was prepared to give up his insistence on a border wall, as negotiators prepare to begin talks aimed at keeping the government open and resolving a bitter impasse over funding for the wall.

Under the deal struck Friday, House and Senate negotiators appointed by congressional leadership will use the next three weeks to see if they can settle the dispute over funding for a wall along the Mexican border.

Since taking office in 2017, Mr. Trump has seen his leverage on the issue dwindle. Republicans, who controlled Congress for much of his presidency, lost the House majority in the midterm elections in November. Polling shows that voters largely blamed him for a shutdown that left about 800,000 federal workers without pay. Neither party has shown much appetite for another shutdown if Mr. Trump doesn’t get the wall money he wants in the new round of negotiations.

Not a Concession

I wish people would read or listen to my words on the Border Wall. This was in no way a concession. It was taking care of millions of people who were getting badly hurt by the Shutdown with the understanding that in 21 days, if no deal is done, it’s off to the races!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 26, 2019

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Not a concession?

Get real.

Pelosi Won

You can agree with Trump on the need for a wall. But that does not matter at this stage. What does matter is Pelsoi won the fight.

It would be politically stupid for her to cave in for no reason now. She won't. Nor does the Senate have any stomach for another government shutdown. It would be the third kick in the head.

In fact, a Congressional override of a budget approval is likely in order if Trump goes down that path. And that would be the end of it.

Emergency Declaration

If Trump sticks to his guns, he will make an emergency declaration. There will be a Congressional challenge, and it will get tied up in the courts.

My Constitutional lawyer friends in DC tell me they are confident Trump would lose. Bear in mind that "confident" and "sure thing" are two very different things.

My guess is Trump loses the battle. But then he can whine about the courts rather than Pelosi.

Two Years Wasted

Trump had two years to negotiate a good deal. He got nothing despite the fact that a year ago, Democrats agreed to fund the wall to the tuned of $20 billion dollars.

Yes, Trump turned down an offer of $20-$25 billion for wall funding in return for amnesty for long-standing dreamers. That was up for negotiation. Trump could have insisted as part of the deal the dreamers not have a criminal record. Democrats would likely have agreed to that condition.

Instead, Trump got nothing.

Totally Trump's Fault - TTF

This is totally Trump's fault. I propose TTF if you want to reduce that to three characters.

Trump is a pathetic negotiator. There is no other way of looking at this.