Thread: Trump doubles down on border wall, as polls show voters turning against his shutdown

Trump doubles down on border wall, as polls show voters turning against his shutdown strategy

By Andrew O'Reilly | Fox News
Published 13 hours ago

President Trump used an address Monday to the American Farm Bureau convention to dig in on his call for a border wall, even as new polling indicates most Americans oppose his administration’s strategy of demanding money for the U.S.-Mexico barrier in exchange for ending the partial government shutdown.

Speaking in New Orleans, Trump said there was “no substitute” for a physical barrier along the southern border with Mexico and accused Democrats of playing politics in refusing to negotiate on the issue.

“They think if they stop me, it’ll be good for 2020,” Trump said of Democrats in Congress. “We need that barrier. … If you don’t have that barrier there, there is not a thing you can do.”

But as the partial shutdown enters its fourth week and hundreds of thousands of federal workers miss their first paychecks, fresh polling suggests the president is losing the battle of public opinion.

A Quinnipiac University poll released Monday found that 63 percent of voters agree with the Democratic proposal to reopen parts of the government that do not involve border security, with 30 percent opposed. The same poll found 63 percent also oppose using the shutdown to force wall funding, with just 32 percent supporting.

The poll found that 56 percent of American voters blame Trump and Republicans in Congress for the partial shutdown, compared with 36 percent who say Democrats are responsible.

An earlier Washington Post-ABC News poll also found more Americans blame Trump and the Republicans than the Democrats over the stalemate -- though the same survey showed support for a wall growing to 42 percent, up from 34 percent a year ago.

Yet neither side is showing any sign of budging, with Trump continuing to insist on upwards of nearly $6 billion for a border wall and Democratic congressional leaders saying they will not entertain a wall in this funding package.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., hit back at Trump on Twitter – telling the president that if he wants to help farmers, he should re-open shuttered agencies.

“President [Trump] is speaking to farmers in Louisiana,” Schumer tweeted. “But [the U.S, Department of Agriculture] can’t pay out promised aid during the #TrumpShutdown. They can’t implement the new provisions in the Farm Bill. Farmers can’t get loans."

Schumer added: “Mr. President: If you want to help farmers, re-open the government.”

During his speech, however, Trump said that a border wall and stricter immigration controls would help farmers, while stemming crime and illegal immigration. The president added that he understands that farmers need people to help with harvests and that he'll make it easier for immigrants to enter the country to work on farms.

“When we have proper security, people won’t come, unless they’re the people we want to come,” he said. “You need people to help you on your farms.”

As the partial government shutdown rolled into its 24th day, little headway seems to have been made in the stalemate between the White House and congressional Democrats.

Leaving the White House for his trip to Lousiana, Trump told reporters that he had dismissed a proposal from Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., to reopen for several weeks and continue dealing with Democrats over Trump's long-promised wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.

"I did reject it, yes," Trump said. "I'm not interested. I want to get it solved. I don't want to just delay it."

Trump also backed further away from the idea of declaring a national emergency as an escape hatch, saying: "I'm not looking to call a national emergency. This is so simple, we shouldn't have to."

Trump has demanded $5.7 billion for his long-promised wall, while Democrats, who oppose the wall as both immoral and wasteful, insist Trump re-open the government before they negotiate border security.
White House reacts to Russia reports, Democrats vacationing during border wall battle and shutdownVideo

Democrats oppose an emergency declaration but may be powerless to block it if Trump goes that route. Some Republicans are wary, too, fearing how a future Democratic president might use that authority. Such a move would almost certainly be challenged in the courts.

Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., called Graham's idea to reopen the government a "great place to start."

"I do think if we reopen the government, if the president ends this shutdown crisis, we have folks who can negotiate a responsible, modern investment in technology that will actually make us safer," Coons said.

Trump, during his speech in Louisiana, said he also supported the use of drones and other technology to patrol the border, but added that there is no substitute for a wall.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/tru...tdown-strategy

It's a Loser A to Z. You aren't looking here at 800,000 people who now hate your guts. You're looking at 800,000 x 10,000 people who hate your guts. Every family member, extended family member and their friends, every landlord looking for rent, every mortgage banker employer looking for loan payments, every supplier, every employee of every supplier, every contractor, every employee of every contractor, all their suppliers and contractors and all their employees, every person doing business or needing services from any of these 9 Departments, and that's before you get to every DemoQuack in the country. It's a total fail, a suicide mission going nowhere for nothing.

Mr. President, the next time someone in Congress tells you they "have your back", say to them, that's nice, but do you have the votes? Because if you don't have the votes, it's all folly, a farce, a charade, and a suicide mission going nowhere for nothing, and that's not my thing.

Mr. President, Americans support a fence/wall/barriers to stop illegal immigration, Americans support this and all types of various ways and means to stop illegal immigration. There is no doubt that the vast majority of Americans want this problem solved. They just don't want to see a government shutdown to accomplish it. Use the caravan to end the government shutdown, you need all government workers back at work, you need all hands on deck, fully paid and motivated to do their best job for the American people. Do not create a situation any longer where we have an invasion and no paid employees to stop it, because that would be goofy, ineffective and not our best foot forward to defend our nation.

Government employees are professional people, they aren't activists, they aren't protesters, they aren't volunteers dedicated to a cause. They are professionals committed to a job mission. Two very different things.

Limbaugh tells Trump: Ignore 'crying wolf' Dems on shutdown, 'do the right thing' for security

Radio host: 'The media's going to say what they say about you no matter what you do'

STORY TOPICS

• POLITICS
• DONALD TRUMP

Radio personality Rush Limbaugh introduces President Donald Trump at the start of a campaign rally Monday, Nov. 5, 2018, in Cape Girardeau, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson) *FILE ** more >


By Douglas Ernst - The Washington Times - Thursday, December 20, 2018

Rush Limbaugh said Thursday that President Trump needs to “do the right thing” and allow for a government shutdown if lawmakers refuse to give him funding for border security.

The conservative radio host told listeners that Democrats have been “crying wolf” since 1995 on government shutdowns because Republicans are scared of their “apocalyptic predictions.” Mr. Limbaugh said it’s time for the commander in chief to do put his foot down despite media outrage that will ensue.

“The government shuts down many times a year that we’re not even told about,” he said. “They’re procedural and they’re formal. Because there’s no politics attached to them nobody ever talks about it. … Life goes on! Nobody dies! Nobody doesn’t get their check. Nobody is unable to get their food stamps and use them. Nobody who is dependent on government suffers.”

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SEE ALSO: Ryan: Trump refuses to sign spending bill; back to drawing board in House

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Mr. Limbaugh said it was a “direct challenge” to Mr. Trump that a spending bill passed by the Senate neglected border security funding.

“The media’s going to say what they say about you no matter what you do,” the radio host said. “You, [Mr. Trump], may as well do the right thing and make the criticism legitimate. By ‘legitimate,’ I mean legitimately angry at you because you did the right thing. Not fake criticism just ‘cause they hate you. So veto this thing and then head down to Mar-a-Lago. I will meet you on the first tee wherever you want to play golf, whenever, and this will end up being resolved in your favor.

“But at some point, you have to make a stand,” he continued. “It’s $5 billion in a $4 trillion budget. Mr. President, they are mocking you, members of Congress. Not including a penny for border security is a direct challenge to you. The budget is $4 trillion, and they can’t find five billion? These are natural power fights that occur between the three branches of government, by the way. They’re normal and they’re natural. Everybody is fighting for as much power as they can get, both individually and institutionally.”

Mr. Trump told lawmakers Thursday that he will refuse to sign any spending bill that does not include funding for border security.

“We just had a very long productive meeting with the president,” House Speaker Paul Ryan told reporters. “The president informed us that he will not sign the bill that came from the Senate last evening because of his legitimate concerns for border security. So what we’re going to do is go back to the House and work with our members.”

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/dec/20/rush-limbaugh-tells-trump-ignore-crying-wolf-dems-/

Yeah, big talk, no action, because no votes.

Home >> Featured >> Featured News >> Trump will win a government shutdown

Trump will win a government shutdown

Posted by: Brady Kenyon in Featured News, Trending Commentary August 5, 2018 Comments Offon Trump will win a government shutdown

Shutting down the government always results in massive controversy – there’s no doubt about it. But over the right issue, could it be beneficial? I think so. Illegal immigration is the issue that would play strong enough politically with Republican voters to allow President Donald Trump to come out on top.

Whether or not President Trump and Republicans could win a government shut down is now front-and-center. Trump sparked the debate when he made numerous statements about the possibility of shutting down the government if he was not able to secure funding for a border wall. Both Conservative talk radio icon Rush Limbaugh and Fox News host Sean Hannity have weighed in on the issue encouraging the president to shut the government down before the midterms if he doesn’t get the proper funding for the wall.

So could Trump actually benefit from a government shutdown? Yes, and here’s why.

A major issue, if not the issue, that got Trump elected in 2016 was immigration. Trump famously promised that he will build the wall and have Mexico pay for it. Chants of “build the wall” frequently broke out during his campaign rallies. His supporters have now come to expect that he’s actually going to build the wall.

Trump has taken over the Republican party.

Polls show Republican support for Trump between 85 percent on the low end to 92 percent on the high end. Trump is now the de-facto leader of the Republican party. In fact, Trump endorsed 2018 primary candidates have won and won big.

Republican voters support Trump and his stances on the issues. His Republican base will support him if he decides to shut down the government over border security. He promised to build a wall and that’s what he’s trying to achieve with a shutdown.
What’s the worst case scenario here for Trump? Republican voters disagree with his decision to shut down the government but at the same time appreciate his effort to fulfill a campaign promise?

Republicans wanted a doer and a fighter. They wanted someone who would stand up and fight to accomplish what they promised during their campaigns. Immigration was a top issue for Trump voters in 2016. With that in mind, Trump can successfully sell to his voters why shutting down the government for such a high priority issue was the right thing to do.

Take a look back to 2013 when Republicans led Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas.) shut the government down over disagreements on the Affordable Care Act. To this day what you will hear from politicians, mostly Democrats but not all, say how stupid that move was, how dumb it was and how bad it was for Republicans. But was it really that bad for Republicans? Republicans held the House and ended up taking back the Senate from Democrats for the first time in nearly a decade during the 2014 midterm elections.

Further, people often times forget that during Ronald Reagan’s presidency the government shut down eight times. Yes, many of these were over a weekend and not considered an extremely serious government shut down by any means. However, Reagan as president understood the need to take a stand and fight for what he believed in even if that meant shutting down the government.

The question I ask is this, can a president win a government shutdown on the right issue? I think yes. What do you think?

https://www.conservativedailynews.co...ment-shutdown/

Originally Posted by Judy

Yeah, big talk, no action, because no votes.

You have your opinion and others folks have theirs.

Ian Welsh

The horizon is not so far as we can see, but as far as we can imagine



Is Trump Right to Shutdown the Government over His Wall?

2018 DECEMBER 24

tags: Trump's Wall

by Ian Welsh



Yeah, I think he is.

Bear with me, I think the wall is stupid and mean. There aren’t actually a ton of emigrants coming any more, and there haven’t been since the early 00’s. It’s not a real crisis. (It never really was.)

And the anti-immigrant movement is based on cruelty. It was based on cruelty under Obama and Bush as well. A lot of outrages that came to light in the early Trump reign were actually things that happened under Obama. That said, Trump has, as with so many things, made it worse.

But Trump campaigned on the wall. If he had a main any campaign promise at all, it was to build the wall.

People voted for him, elected him, expecting him to build the wall.

People should, I believe, get what they vote for. At the least they should be able to expect the people they voted for to fight for whatever they promised.

Trump is doing that, and I would go so far as to say he should do it.

Other politicians, who promised to oppose him, should do so, though I fear the hypocrisy meter is pretty high on both Republicans and Democrats on this issue: Many who oppose him now have voted for border walls in the past, there’s plenty of already existing wall, etc.

Is all this worth shutting the government down over? Not to me, not to most of my readers, I’m sure.

But it was Trump’s main promise, and he should fight for it.

http://www.ianwelsh.net/is-trump-rig...over-his-wall/

Even some folks who don't agree with the wall believe Trump needed to have this fight.

I say no.