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Right Wing Freaks Out As Trump Loses Battle For Border Wall To Nancy Pelosi

Trump announced an end to the longest shutdown in United States history today in a Rose Garden address, saying he has agreed to a Continuing Resolution funding the federal government for three weeks with no funding for his wall (or steel barrier if you prefer).

Trump also threatened another shutdown or a declaration of a national emergency if there’s no funding for a wall after the end of the three-week period.

During the address, Trump offered his usual lurid descriptions of imagined violent crimes against women if the wall is not put in place. It was the same fear-mongering strategy he tried in advance of the 2018 midterm elections that resulted in a rout for Republicans.

In re-opening the government with no wall funding, Trump effectively caved to Democrats who stood firm supporting a clean bill to re-open the government while border security negotiations continue. The move comes just a day after Trump tweeted that “We will not Cave!” on funding for the wall.

The agreement is nearly identical to a bill that already passed the GOP-controlled Senate unanimously and that Trump had indicated he supported, before criticism from right-wing media caused him to backtrack.

Trump saw his approval rating plummet during the month the government was shut down, notching some of his lowest numbers to date from several polls. Speaker Pelosi’s numbers, on the other hand, rose somewhat.

It’s an unambiguous loss for Trump and one that makes his (unearned) reputation as a master negotiator and strategist an obvious lie.

In the sense that the move disproved the core mythos of the Trump presidency (he’s a “deal maker” who can “get things done”) while failing to deliver on his signature campaign promise, it is as much of a “Katrina” moment as Trump has experienced. (Bush’s incompetent response and failure to protect the people of Louisiana in the wake of Hurricane Katrina called into question his ability to “keep us safe” and lent credence to Iraq War critics calling for a change of course.)

The reaction from several right-wing media outlets was fierce and… not favorable to Trump.

Ann Coulter, who led the charge against Trump’s initial plan to fund the government without money for the border wall, called him a “wimp.”

With the government re-opened, the State of the Union address on Tuesday (assuming it’s still scheduled), should be… interesting. (So should Coulter’s appearance on Bill Maher’s Real Time tonight.)