As I've said many times, I fully support Mr. Trumps wall. As long as he is on the Mexico side when it's done.
1
Considering the things the president has done thus far in his life, two out of three isn't bad.
1
Trump's border wall is like his own personal lego set, but bought with someone else's money. What bothers me the most are those politicians who say they are in the middle and blame both sides. Let's be real. It is not both sides, it is one side wanting to please one man so he can get his legos and build his wall while they get back to the sand box and the business of tearing apart America with his blessing. Grow up America, this is not a daycare facility.
3
The only thing DJT is concerned about is how he is perceived by his followers. How he "looks". He would have gladly signed a deal last December that was more favorable for him, had the mouth pieces of his base not thrown a hissy fit. The only thing he cared about then is the only thing he cares about now. How it makes him "look" to his base. Saying he's "not happy" is as meaningless as it is disingenuous.
1
Shouldn't title read "Trump is 'not happy' with border deal, and doesn't say if he will sign it?"
A wall is not the whole answer, but the budget for security put forth is not sufficient. The Dems know that and would like nothing better than to continue to tweet hate for Trump, for anyone against illegal immigration, including the arrival of those seeking refugee status when they are not refugees. The Reps know that not much is going to pass the House as they are the 'resisters' of Trump. For all those that were angered by Congress not 'working' with Obama, where are you now? Oh, right. We can afford wasting billions for a good cause - eliminate Trump. ????? Where does that thinking get us?!!
Ha Ha Ha. You stepped in a bucket, trump. You got less than the first offer, but only after stiffing 800,000 employees and looking like a jerk. Doesn't really matter though. He'll just start telling lies and his army of (insert negative descriptor here) will eat it up with a spoon.
1
Every time I see a family with children standing in front of the wall/fence/whatever, it breaks my heart. Yep, "bleeding heart liberal" here, without apology.
I am a human being before I am a citizen. I am a woman before I am a voter. I am compassionate before I am hard-hearted. Where is the great spirit of the USA to be the light of the world? We are engulfed in confusion and darkness. When the likes of Hannity and Coulter determine what the POTUS does, we are under a dark cloud.
Anyone who knows Emma Lazarus' poem at the base of the Lady Liberty, should weep with shame. She wrote:
“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
This is a very big country. We have states that have lost large numbers of people. We have businesses that need workers offering jobs that others simply do not want.
Stupidity has no cure. Arrogance is tyranny. Ignorance is a great evil. Those who support the Orange Menace are all three, as is their idol. As for me and my house, we will not be moved. Resist. Vote.
4
Who cares what Trump thinks, it's puppet master Sean Hannity that's running the show and his opinion trumps (pun intended) Trump.
This is bad reporting. It starts by presuming there is a border crisis and that building a wall is a viable way to mitigate the crisis. Wait a minute. Reporters don’t make unsupported assumptions just because Trump, Fox and Republican congressmen say there is a crisis and a wall fixes it.
Real reporting should state facts and not false assertions. Real Facts include the following:
1. illegal drugs come into the US mainly through ports and a wall does nothing to stop this.
2. Illegal immigrants are not streaming over the southern boarder and there is no real invasion crisis.
3. Most illegal immigrants come through legal entry and overstay.
4. Trump, Fox, Republican congressmen know these facts and totally ignore them.
5. The current proposal is not dealing with DACCA.
6. The current proposal does not deal with many real immigration law problems.
7. The current proposal does not redeploy US military assets where they are really needed.
8. Trump and Republicans are running up billions of dollars of debt on many so called boarder crisis issues that are not as pressing as getting immigrant families reunited, accelerating legal immunity request, staffing immigration courts, etc.
NYT reporters and editors get back to when, why, where & how and stop reporting totally unsupported or incorrect assertions as facts.
Do your job. The reader can determine Trump, Fox and Republicans are trying to force bad policy by stating untrue assertions.
1
Trump would sign a bill now that called for a shower curtain at the border.
And claim victory!!
1
I share Coulter's frustration. The important thing is to build the wall. Changing the electorate to please the Democrats is foolish. We would end up with one-party socialist state. Then we would have to build gulags.
1
Trump will sign it and get the rest of the money elsewhere. The us conviscated 12 billion from El Chapo. Maybe Mexico will pay for the wall after all
Does this mean that Trump is still not calling Mexico to ask for the money?
Coulter is right: Trump is weak and a coward.
I cannot imagine how Trump voters must feel being reminded on a daily basis that their man is the personification of cowardice.
The fight over the number of beds underscores the tru intention of the Democrats. "Open Borders".
From this paper on Februarty 11th.
"The Case Against Border Security"
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/11/opinion/democrats-border-security-wall.html?em_pos=small&emc=edit_ty_20190212&nl=opinion-today&nl_art=11&nlid=60742661emc%3Dedit_ty_20190212&ref=headline&te=1
America; are you not sick and tired of this huckster con man the right wing put in the White House? Enough; already. Ray Sipe
So now the American taxpayer will pay for Trump's folly. Dumb Democrats to give even a penny.
Just take the money as a down payment on the Wall, then get the money from other sources, build the Wall and call it a Wall once it is built by early next year. No need for a Shutdown. If one needs emergency money, take it. We need a Wall, the Dems voted for a Wall and they're just being spiteful because it comes from Trump. I hope Trump milks this for all he can in 2020.
1
Border between the U.S. and Canada is OK. But why is the border between the U.S. and Mexico not OK?
These immigrants come to the U.S. primarily to escape problems in their native countries (Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama) which includes a stagnant economy, high levels of crime, political corruption and widespread drug use. There is a legal way to request a green card to enter the U.S., however unlawful mobs entry is not allowed. Shame and disgrace of all these central American countries and their governments who fail to feed their people, to give them medical care, good housing, and jobs. These central American countries and their governments are the ones at fault.
Sorry that your country does not love you anymore. To find true love you need to find and walk on God’s Holy road which will one day open the gate to His Kingdom in Heaven. The road you are currently walking is man made and will only bring you tears and despair, darkness and regrets.
1
This whole debacle was made up by Trump. He created the wall issue during his campaign to stir up hate for those not like him, highlighting it again and again and again to rouse his white male base. Had he worked with Congress at the start of his term of office to develop a border solution, we could have avoided the shutdown, avoided the screaming and yelling, and the increased tribalism. It's time he accepted this compromise solution, flawed as it may be and find incremental ways down the road to achieve his goal.
Sadly, however, Trump is so mercurial and narcissistic, I'm afraid on a tweet from someone calling him a failure or pussycat for agreeing to sign the compromise, he'll throw a tantrum and walk away from the deal. He's not a leader, but a three year old child in a dark suit who doesn't understand the power of Congress: control of the purse.
What is constantly conveniently forgotten is the $billion the thing already got. It's never mentioned. Where did that go ... the inaugural fund?
Also, the tyrant et al, llc. and "umplicans" are now saying sign it and do an executive order immediately to steal funds used for crisis management, and create the bogus wall for a bogus crisis. I think they all need to be hauled off to jail for life. This is trickle-down lying and couldn't be more obvious.
This isn't about a wall: it's about America, founded as a refuge from oppression, but, from the beginning, those who came saw themselves as superior beings and "the others" as savages, to be treated savagely. Donald the grandson of immigrants grabbed onto this theme and ran with it even though there was no reality to it. We don't need a wall and never did. We need an accelerated process for getting people who seek refuge here through our immigration system. We need to lift quotas and welcome the next generation to America. The idea that immigration hurts our economy is wrong: try a day without Mexicans.
@LA Lawyer In the 1600's, the American Indians did not have a wall, nor any border enforcement. By the time they figured out what was happening, it was too late. They got diversified.
So the great deal maker caves again. But he did manage to teach us all a lesson in what NOT to do in advance of a deal concluding: claim defeat. His admission of unhappiness reveals him to be a classic "loser".
6
@Eric If he doesn't sign the bill, because it doesn't fully fund the wall, is that still a cave?
Im not happy with the border deal either, trump promised Mexico was going to pay for it. When is he going to fix our infrastructure.
11
To think that “build the wall” was a politically conceived rally cry that was invented by the likes of Roger Stone and Sam Nunberg in order to whip up crowd excitement, keep Trump on message and use as a mnemonic device to help him remember to talk about immigration during events now is being used as a bargaining chip for funding the entire US economy is an outrageous concept.
Unfortunately, even though Trump knew he could never really get Mexico to pay for “the wall” and he knew that it wasn’t an important issue (see transcripts of Trump/Nieto phone conversations), Trump kept that slogan, using it at all his rallies to stoke fear and division. “The wall” has now become a Republican battle cry as seen when the GOP Congress stood clapping in ovation during the SOTU when Trump yelled out “Walls saves lives”. This after Graham threatened them with “If you don’t support the POTUS, we don’t support you”.
“We want wall”? If the GOP wanted “the wall” so bad, they could have passed legislation for 2 years during which time they were non-inclusive with Democrats in negotiations.
So it comes down to this. “The wall” really is an symbol of messaging for Trump, not a necessary security issue. And because he is so vain and egotistical, he is unable to move forward putting the country and citizens first. This is a small man. And the lemmings that follow him know that “the wall” is nothing more than a political trademark making them negligent in following their sworn oath of office.
13
Actually, the lemmings believe him. They actually believe this is a good idea. They have no idea they’re rubes.
No matter if he signs it or not his hard right base will be pleased if he just gives the appearance of fighting to build his wall.
All this failure by the master dealmaker won't alienate his base. It's the "tax cut" that's going to anger his base. Once they file tax returns they'll wake up to reality. They were conned.
6
@John Adams I filed yesterday. I'm getting $1000 back, plus the $60 per month my wife and I get. The last time I got a refund was '95 or '96.
Hey, I'm still not tired of winning.
The new border barrier-only 1/4 as immoral as the original!
4
Go ahead, Trump -- make the Dems' day.
2
Although it is in Trump and McConnel’s interest to deny it, there are no significant changes in the deal since December. Why didn’t Mitch and the Senate put just put something on Trump’s desk before the shutdown and call Trump’s bluff then?
Trump plays like a poker player with an unlimited bankroll, McConnell doesn’t know how to call a bluff. Nancy is going to clean up and expose the republicans for the idiots they are.
5
Where have the checks and balance gone in our form of democracy when we have a Mitch MacConell cowtowing to an out of control president? I think Mitch is a disgrace, worse than Trump, beginning with his refusal to allow Judge Gorsuch’ s hearings, a slap in the face of president Obama and the American people. Shame on him!
6
You don't have to be a Trump supporter to ask the real questions: Why is it acceptable when WE (The US Government, both parties) agree to help Israel build a border wall to the tune of 30+ Billion (a Wall which has proved to be very effective by the way) but when it's for our own border security it suddenly becomes a Hate and Race issue? 5 or 10 billion dollars to prvent ILLEGAL immigration is nothing compared to the 100+ billion we spend each year arresting and detaining ILLEGAL immigrants. Nobody is saying close the borders, just come to our country by following our laws.
3
Because the point is , a wall across the desert doesn’t change a thing, and is a waste of resources. Try listening to the people that know what they are talking about instead of trumps lies.
@John. Could it be that our border is more than 2000 miles long? It is not practical.
I'm wondering if Donald's master and controller, Vladimir Putin, and Sean Hannity, Trump's propaganda minister, are singing off the same sheet of music? Dear Donald could be caught right in the middle of this.
Decisions, decisions, decisions.
When all else fails, rant rave and lie. It's the Trump way of doing things.
9
Hurray for compromise!
1
Oh trump will sign it, what are the choices does he have ?
None.
His own party would revolt including Mitch the Senator.
All the lies he is telling throughout his presidency if those were bricks, that would finish the promised wall and then leave some more to be used later.
3
The GOP/MAGA/Trumpists should be thrilled with this great new deal because the grand wizard has delivered. They get an imaginary wall, just like the imaginary crowds at Trumps inauguration, and just like the imaginary truth that comes from his mouth.
10
Think of it. All of the time and OUR taxpayer money OUR hired/elected officials are taking to try to placate a demented bully.
Get The Con Don, Minister Pence and Traitor McConell OUT of there right now and put Speaker Pelosi in charge.
NOW.
15
Democrats asked for catch and release for criminal illegal aliens charged or convicted of crimes in addition to immigration crimes.
Because that must be good for American citizens somehow.
4
Feel free to let us know how the Republicans protected the country from the conservatives who massacre their fellow Americans in synagogues, churches, grocery stores, schools and in the streets, then maybe someone will take the caterwauling about illegal immigrants seriously.
13
@Kip
Of course, you can PROVE that horrible tragedies such as mass shootings are conducted solely by conservatives and that these lunatics are protected by Republicans.
No? Didn't think so.
Ridiculous leftist rhetoric.
This is all very nice, but he said Mexico would pay for a wall. We don't even know what this wall will consist of, right? We're just supposed to trust Donald Trump, shameless con man, like a bunch of chumps. He's using our taxes to give himself and other extremely wealthy people tax breaks. I think a wall on top of that will be a terrible burden on most people. And I guess we needn't hold our breaths for that "better and cheaper" healthcare trump promised. We know about his deals with Russia, payments to hookers, his profiting from emoluments, bankruptcies, immorality, his lack of qualifications - and we still believe he's going to put America or Americans first? Or anywhere? It's only about him. always.
12
You are correct, Presidents lie. Obama told us dozens of times, that we could keep our doctors and our insurance. He also said the ACA would result in lower costs for Americans. Even before Republicans took over, we needed new doctors and new insurance and healthcare costs were soaring.
2
I kept my doctors and my insurance the entire time Obama was president. I didn’t experience the slightest inconvenience. Anyone who did was free to find a different employer or a better job. Losing the entitlement complex would be a start.
@Richard Winchester. If Obama had been in office 100 years he couldn’t have told as many falsehoods as 45 did in one year.
1
okay, he is not Happy.
then which one is he?
7
Build that wall anyway you can. That is why I voted for you. Now go do it.
7
He said Mexico would pay for it. Weren’t you there chanting along. Who’s gonna pay for the wall?.....Mexico! Yea, loud cheers. Remember?
1
Now McConnell "hopes" Trump will sign the bill?
What happened before Mitch? You put the government in shutdown for 35 days because you would not put forward a bill that Trump would not definitely sign off on?
What's wrong Mitch? Can't keep your fake moves and words straight?
Unbelievable, but then again the GOP and McConnell in particular have never been bothered with hypocritical lying.
11
From Psychology today:
How Narcissists See Themselves
1. I love myself, and I know you do, too. In fact, everyone does. I can’t imagine anyone who doesn’t.
2. I have no need to apologize. You, however, must understand, accept, and tolerate me no matter what I do or say.
3. I have few equals in this world, and so far, I have yet to meet one. I am the best _______ (manager, businessman, lover, student, etc.).
4. Most people don’t measure up. Without me to lead, others would flounder.
5. I appreciate that there are rules and obligations, but those apply mostly to you, because I don’t have the time or the inclination to abide by them. Besides, rules are for the average person, and I am far above average.
6. I hope you appreciate all that I am and everything that I have achieved for you — because I am wonderful and faultless.
Think you recognize anyone here?
12
@JG: Thank you for posting this.
@JG
Yes!!
It describes almost every President who ever served!
Thank you!
Okay trump is not happy! So what is new? This is all about a wall/fence that is all about show. Like the little kid in the school yard who has to get his way or he is going to take his ball home.
2
Calling out this president as the shifty little weasel that he is may wake up some of DTs hanger-on supporters amongst the voters. I would love to hear Dems use the words 'shifty' & 'weasel" regularly in their descriptions of negotiating with this guy. It's less of an attack on him personally than "temper tantrum" & "immoral" and more about his words & behavior. Most folks know that people with power, money & no thought of anyone but themselves can run them into the ground with this kind of deceptive double-speak. He deserves an adequate 'tag' for his total lack of character that gets to the core of how he preys on people's hopes.
7
Begging their boss or pay the public consequence.......
This is our country? An insane border. The impact of this nonsense will not be forgotten!
5
It must have been troubling whole lot of people around the globe the failure particularly of GOP not have played the responsible “filtration” role to prevent people like Trump who forever who pose a threat to democracy or demonstrably unfit to hold office.
“Democracies work best—and survive longer—when constitutions are reinforced by norms of mutual toleration and restraint in the exercise of power”, with election of Trump Americans have signally failed this test.
What’s immensely alarming is the copy cat of Trump unethical style of “shoot and scoot” political philosophy in countries like India.
We are witnessing Rahul Gandhi Congress boss unleashing worst form of shoot and scoot politics and abusive behavior, lowering the political discourse like never before.
Without any evidence Rahul has been on a relentless smear campaign. While I can understand their desperation to turn the tables at the ruling BJP party but doing so by concocting facts - and with juvenile slanderous intensity speaks of the influence of Trump style functioning.
“But now we find ourselves turning to our own country. Over the past two years, we have watched politicians say and do things that are unprecedented in the United States—but that we recognize as having been the precursors of democratic crisis in other places.” Levitsky, How Democracies Die.
True of India currently Rahul Gandhi, following the footsteps of Trump demagogy, is sowing the seeds of precursors of democratic crisis.
3
It is not about the wall it is about construction companies and trump making money out of the American taxpayers, then he can pay off some of his debts political or other, and can crow about bringing jobs to the area.
6
This proposal is $1.375bn in funding for 55 miles of border fencing I think.
So, the approximately 2000 miles of wall Trump promised is never going to cost the $5bn he keeps asking for?
More like $50bn perhaps?
4
Trump had been handed several important lessons in constitutional governance. But the question remains: Is he educable? One can only hope.
5
The most disheartening thing about the thousands of children separated from their parents (something they have in common with this president) is that ninety percent of registered republicans polled stand in support.
I can understand one sick mind finds its way into the Oval Office, but this sickness is rampant.
I know what my dad and other families went through to preserve decency. Republicans during the McCarthy era into John Birch era maladjusted the humanity behind our efforts in the 2nd World War. Now that my dad and his buds are gone, so the republicans bury that unanimous effort to preserve humane and just consideration, not America First, not Me First but what is right first.
Separating families and caging children is what we fought against in The 2nd World War. No amount of control for Citizens United is worth giving corporations the rights of humanity. They will murder and they will cheat and they will elect this president to help them.
9
@rubbernecking: well stated.
3
Obama separated the children from their parents also. The press and the Democratic Party found nothing wrong with that. Explain that!
@Marika No, Obama, We The People did NOT!> https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/immigration-border-crisis/fact-check-did-obama-administration-separate-families-n884856
The fact that Trump did not get everything he wanted in some ways benefits him.It allows him to keep up the “Build The Wall”chant which so energizes his base.Two years after he defeated Hilary Clinton he still leads chants about “ lock her up”. He needs these props to liven up his rallies.He always knew that there would never be a wall and that Mexico would never pay for it, but it worked for his crowds.Trump is totally transactional- whatever works is fine-decency and propriety do not matter to him.
7
More detention beds = more money for the private prison industry. Private prisons should not be allowed, as they routinely violate human rights and dignity in the pursuit of profit.
7
I hope that the circle of National Enquirer readers, Mr. Trump, and Republicans spearheaded by Mr. McConnell, would implode.
2
Why doesn't he just accept the deal and say he is building the wall anyway with unspecified other funding which is somehow available. He can have videos and computer animations made
of massive construction, and he can tell people he is securing hundreds of miles a month. He can denounce the news sources that point out the deception as "fake". Business as usual.
2
Any Republican politician worth his or her salt should now fully realize from this evaporating wall standoff that the Fake President is a weakened, humbled "leader", and that they may pursue their own interests, separate from any slavish adherence to the incoherent, damaging, and extreme policies of Trump.
5
Trump's Wall is nothing more than a new version of the infamous Berlin Wall , which was installed by the Soviets, who Trump openly admires.
6
Putting a budget up for a vote. Such daring! Man of the year!
4
Did I miss a meeting? I thought the Reps controlled the House for the first two years of Trump's presidency. Wonder why the Wall wasn't funded then?
Anyone know?
10
The same reason immigration reform was not done during the Democratic majority under Obama
1
To the Times staff, why is so much print given to the opinions of media personalities and bloggers like Hannity and Coulter? Are they setting policy for this country? I don’t remember them ever running for election. I think they can suck up enough oxygen on their own without your help. Thank you.
17
Coulter was one of the people who rejected the last agreement.
3
@Karin - It's a fact that the media personalities you cite are exerting a great deal of influence over our so-called president. It's at a point where it's hard not to talk about them when talking about a decision being made by Donald Trump. He has no ideas of his own, so they have to come from somewhere.
5
@Karin. They seem to be setting policy.
If Walls dont work (ludicrous statement) why did Bill Clinton begin the process of building them ? Over 500 miles of barriers/walls were constructed under 3 Presidents including your much beloved Czar Obama.
The paltry sum that Chuck and Nancy will allow is no more than a rounding error against our National Budget. Your party should be ashamed and embarrassed that you are willing to hold the country hostage for something as important as this.
Its obvious that all thats being sought here is a line in the NYT that says its a win for us and a loss for DJT.
3
@G4 - the areas where walls MIGHT have a chance of working are in populated areas. But these are the areas that already have physical barriers. Pretty much everyone except Trump acknowledges that walls are an unnecessary waste in areas of barren, unpopulated desert. Smugglers simply don't bring drugs or humans in that way even now, with no barrier.
7
Stop it. The Repubs had the President, House and Senate for two years and didn’t find the wall. If it was so important why did they wait?
3
@Renee
The flow of drugs has not abated its actually inceased. When I hear people say they dont come across the border I say how do you know that? Dont you have to catch the smuggler first before you can say that with any certainty.
I have listened to many experts who have worked down there including many high level people who worked for the previous president. You wont read what they say in the NYT but they all insist walls and barriers are needed and one of the things they accomplish is create choke points for catching Illegal aliens.
To me its a no brainer. If we have to aborb 20 million now, how long before its 20 more or 40 more? Do you want a country or a Sanctuary for the world? Come in legally like normal people and wait your turn. Thumbs down on open borders. And thumbs up to sensible immigration policies that allow for normal immigration.
Of course Trump will sign it, gleefully. His current, favorite made-for-tv game is to suck you in . "Will he or won't he .. oh lala".
This wall thing was never anything but a campaign point -- please get smart enough to at least know that. No one makes this world better by playing into Trump's cheap narrative.
9
Oh dear. Little Donny The Con Man is not happy.
Like the spoiled, demented, corrupt individual he is, he'll get back at us - WE THE PEOPLE. He'll get his cabinet puppets to find money earmarked for really serious things - like wildfire and flood protection/help - to keep his idiotic Roger Stone-planted "wall" idea going.
Why people in power in OUR political, legal, military and Secret Service complexes aren't joining forces to put him under citizen's arrest for dereliction of duty, abuse of power, corruption and treason to democracy is simply beyond me.
What are they waiting for? WW3 at his hands?
Two courageous governors had the spine to pull their national guard people away from the border. Let's see many more use their power to stop the great orange pretender.
11
swrdm
"The Democrats should never have gone off on this sidetrack of 'detention beds'. "
No, I think it was a decent ploy to make it harder for Trump to move the deal more in his direction.
2
Mr. 'I Make the Best Deals' doesn't understand that he can't manipulate the government like he did with contractors, architects, business people, friends, and employees. His slime spread as well as it used to. No deal.
Have I thanked President Obama lately for being a president?
7
FLASH! Mitch McConnell threatens to actually do something
that resembles legislating. Democracy has a pulse! Feeble, but
there's hope.
6
@Barry Moyer
Yep. McConnell is bringing the bill to the President, With this single act, McConnell is fulfilling more legislation than the Dems will do for the next 2 years.
Unless,of course, you believe conducting one futile investigation after another is "legislatrating".
House Dems - Keep up the investigations. This is the best way to insure our President a win in 2020! Thank you!!!
1
Think back to the beginning. The most oft repeated visual memory is trump holding up something he had signed for the cameras. He seems to have run out of things to sign so he gets very little attention unless he creates one crisis or another. I, for one do not give a rats patooty whether or not trump is happy.
I would like to know why no one has bothered to consider the role of the National Guard in this country. If we have a national emergency on the border why not call out the National Guard? I would love to see someone ask him, point blank, why this is not a solution. Think a little forward and think a bit out of the box. Why not create permanent installations/bases along our border. Rotate a combination of Border Patrol and National Guard personnel. I think that might be money better spent than a Space Force.
1
@Chris - Trump HAS called up the National Guard (hence the headlines yesterday about Gov. Newsom redeploying them in CA), but they are limited in what they can do on the border because the U.S. military cannot enforce U.S. domestic law. An important Constitutional safeguard to prevent us from living in a military state.
6
Meanwhile, back at the border.....nothing has changed. No emergency has arisen.
This country is going down the tubes while a lunatic President continues to obsess about a wall that is not going to be built.
The American People are tired of hearing about this. And we demand a government that starts working for the entire country. Not just this dictator who stole the Presidency
9
@Nuffalready Right he stole it (the election) .. but it was like taking candy from a baby. American voters are not known for their acumen.
Just consider them: Reagan, Bush.1, Bush.2, then Trump. The scariest thing in front of us is what the voters will do next. Cruz? Roy Moore?
When it gets bad enough (such as when the GOP pick commits sufficient horror, eg, Iraq) the Dems will generally part the Red Sea and vote coherently one time. Then they fall apart trying to decide whether Good! or Fine! is indeed satisfactory.
2
Enough of this!
If our egomaniacal pres. vetoes the bill, it is time for the gutless Congress to override and move on.
12
I so wish Coulter would just keep quiet! She pushed us into a 35 day shutdown and now she’s trying to do it again. I look forward to her downfall someday...
7
We can talk all we want abut whether this "deal" is better or worse than the previous one, but to the "handful-of-issues" people who comprise his base, he asked for $5.7, was offered $1.8, and ultimately settled for. $1.6. End of story.
If Mexico was paying for it, if other programs were paying for it, then he could have/should have done those things without laying off the federal work force or waiting for the Dems to control the House.
But he didn’t do any of those things. And if his base is too myopic to set his, heaven help us if another 25% of the American public really believes that Trump in 2020 is better than ANY competent professional from the D side.
7
Note to Dems, 2020 - fall in line and vote D.
3
Trump said he wanted 5.7 Billion for a border wall or barrier, Nancy Pelosi said "not one dollar". They compromised. That is how government is supposed to work. On to better trade deals with China and then infrastructure.
2
@P McGrath But it is a deeply flawed social methodology. Why? Because it means you can achieve something by merely asking for 5x it, and then settling for 'less'.
1
in the caveat which allows the administration to move money around for its pet project ie the wall; wouldnt that leave the budget short for national emergencies?
or would that come from somewhere else
2
Like many Americans, I am hoping to see that the will of the grown-ups will prevail. Like many Americans, I am extremely tired of toddler leadership.
15
Watch for it. Trump will sign the bill but then announce that his "acting" budget director has found $20 billion that Trump is free to utilize for this purpose. "All my lawyers assure me it's perfectly legal under the Constitution and existing legislation."
4
Who thinks the President is done negotiating?
1
When will we hear if "Fox and Friends" approves it? Without that, he'll never sign.
5
Awww, little Donnie is not happy that Mitch McConnell has said “Time out Donald! No more shutdowns for you!”
And now the whole world sees what a real Senate Leader does to defend their country against an out-of-control President.
3
I am SO exhausted by this train wreck of a president.
He had so divided the nation.
HE is the personification of a WALL.
16
The NYT seems upset that Mr. Trump adjusts his language about how he speaks of "The Wall." Maybe he's (Slowly) adapting to the substantial majority of Americans that don't want a concrete wall, but do want adjusted immigration policies. Mr. Trump tells us that "a lot of it" has already been built, but doesn't bother to tell us what part has been built, who built it at what cost, and suggest ways to erect barriers in prioritized increments.
3
It sure is a sorry way to run a government, i.e., by fear and loathing of Trump, a man who is mentally unstable with plans to keep our nation on edge for years with his psychotic fantasies and nefarious undertakings.
What an utterly sickening state of affairs our nation has created for itself by giving over control to the likes of Republicans whose disdain for the rule of law, for our nation's security, and for our social/political stability is creating havoc in the lives of every single American citizen.
11
Just because Trump will end up living behind bars, he thinks we should too. This is just another one of his projections.
12
If Republicans want this bill, they merely need to pass it by a majority sufficient to override a veto. Congress can then proudly carry the mantle of avoiding another shutdown.
3
Trump's wall is analogous to Queeg's strawberries. Republicans should follow the Navy's resolution of Queeg and put Trump out to pasture by nominating a new team like Mitt Romney and Nikki Haley for 2020. If they don't, the Democrats will have a historical landslide.
Meanwhile, how frustrating that the top discussion is not about any one of the real problems affecting our quality of life such as healthcare costs and availability, the environment, tax reform, education.
15
There is a ray of sunshine here.
Trump can no longer boast that he controls the Senate, and Nancy Pelosi shows she is in control of the House and the nation's purse strings. Trump learns to listen to her when she threatens retribution.
Beto rallies the citizens of El Paso and shows that El Paso truly does not want a wall and that the President has once again perpetrated a Con and hoax in his statements about El Paso. Republicans in the Senate now realize their devotion to Trump has limits and can be harmful to their popularity.
Now if Mueller and the Southern District do their job along with the House,we may have a way out of the national disaster in the White House.
13
You quoted trump's tweet: “Regardless of Wall money, it is being built as we speak!” You forgot to mention that that is not in fact true.
Or is it taken for granted that trump's tweets are lies, so there is no need to point it out? Perhaps it makes more sense to point out the very occasional instance when a tweet is (probably inadvertently) actually true.
5
And what happened to a path to citizenship for the poor DACA folks? I don't see this addressed in this article.
4
@JSM
The Senate is still held by Republican majority.
THAT's what happened.
4
So the Democrats got nothing? You don't mention anything. That seems like it would be an important part of the story.
2
Glad Mitch McConnell finally realized he doesn't need the president's permission to do his job of legislating. This whole mess seems more a Trump ego battle than governing. If Trump really cared about border security, he would gather experts to give advice as to the most effective methods to secure all of our borders, not just the land border with Mexico, and listen to and follow that advice. Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, and Ann Coulter have a First Amendment right to express their opinions, but for Trump or any member of Congress to succumb to their demands is a sign of weakness, not strength.
12
@CH
trump, gather experts to give advice? Not on this planet...
5
Pelosi and Beto come out like true leaders and Trump will have to beg his right wing hardliners for forgiveness. Excellent result.
7
Wait, wait! All this news about how Democrats want open borders and no improvement in preventing illegal immigration and the entry of drugs into the United States. What about Russian interference? Where are the leaks about Mueller’s investigation?
2
Don't worry, you'll wake up to find your blessed land of Lincoln Nebraska soon so riddled with poisons from Round Up, Dupont, Monsanto and disruptions in climate due to carbon and methane emissions that Canada will soon build a wall of their own to keep you out.
2
It may appear that McConnell and his party are not the lemmings they are at times when it comes to following Trump off of a cliff.
And, perhaps Trump is being reminded that he is not a despot, well, perhaps a third rate despot, he no longer has GOP majority rule in the House, and, his grand negotiating skills were not so grand after all-and he finds he needs to deal with a woman who is not quite as complaint or star-struck as many others he has dealt with.
For years there has been many politicians bray to the witless voters they will have immigration reform, they will do this with immigration and they will do that with immigration. Reagan tried and he was raked over the coals. Obama deported many and he felt the wrath. Trump, well, he separates families and the masses cheer. Regardless, many have tried and all have failed. So, why does the third rate despot believe he can do something the others couldn't? Is he that stupid that he doesn't look at history, or, the support he may or may not have in his own party?
5
the president is an unstable liar, and his words are random acts of aggression with a core of misogyny and racism overlaid with vitriol.
17
But you are too kind.
7
Trump won't make up his mind until the triumvirate of Hannity/Coulter/Limbaugh (or is it a menage a trois) that is very much involved in steering his presidency tell him what his decision is.
9
Poor fellow, he can't read more than two lines in a row, can't spell and, worst of all, he has shown he can't negotiate his way out of a parking ticket. He was never the master negotiator he vociferously proclaimed and his mentally backward followers believed.
Now he is stuck with a bad deal Pelosi & the Blue Wave imposed on him, and he had to take it lest risking another devastating shutdown that would certainly bring the GOP to its knees. Big mouth and braggadocio but little brains and knowledge. What a loser: PATHETIC.
17
He’s still smarter than his supporters, though. Think about that for a second.
2
The Democrats could have had DACA and didn't get it. Boy, did they screw up.
2
What? Trump was offered $20B for his wall in exchange for DACA and he rejected it. Besides, the courts have given DACA recipients an injunction that, for the time being protects them, so it really isn’t an issue on the table right now.
11
Trump is teaching …….the art of dodging the truth.....;
Trump is teaching...…..how to "fake it 'til you make it"
And Trump has been winning the Trump con artist's game for
a long long time.
So...the students of Trump's Art of The Con....are all on board
with ; lying is just part of any deal; And all politicians lie...it's
the normal way to be in the USA....Lying is the new norm...
Just lie lie lie.....and you will be on top of the heap....and stay
there.
Well now....who is going to dispel this fantasy ; what lawmaker is going to dismantle the fantasy that the art of the
con artist (Trump) will lead you to failure.
Who can do this dismantling of "Trumpism" that is Lying for
Profit....who will tear to shreds the "philosophy" of how to
succeed by lying your head off...who is going to defeat Trumpism...
Well it won't be Mitch McConnell or Kevin McCarthy...or
anyone closely associated with Donald Trump...: who is going
to tear to shreds this philosophy of a sociopathic liar like Trump....
Let me know....if you can.
3
Trump is what happens when politicians put education at the bottom of their priority list.
A 2015 PISA assessment (of international math and science) showed the US student ranked well behind many other industrial nations... 24th in science and reading and 39th in Math (after such countries as Vietnam, Russia and Slovakia).
And US Teachers salaries are abominable.
Shame on America! We value Trump tactics...lying and making phony deals to make $$$$millions over critically important good, honest hard work.
1
Damned if he does
damned if he doesn’t
Who painted the bully into the corner?
Why the bully himself.not at all surprising. Who gives a hoot what he thinks?
He is indeed as the New Yorker claimed a “ lame duck”; with the country and especially his kool aid drinking Fox believing followers
I certainly would not look forward to running as an incumbent a Republican in 2020.
Watch the retirements roll out ahead of us:
Susan the coward Collins Me.
Mitch the thief McConnell Ky
Cory Gardner Co
Tom the racist Tillis NC
And the remaining office holders ...Congress, Governors, state legislatures, local officials
Dems play this one carefully It’s a golden opportunity to start rebuilding our country. Be positive . We’re counting on you.
13
The Constitution provides that all revenue bills must originate in the House of Representatives, but it does not give the House full authority over the federal budget. Revenue bills require Senate concurrence and—unless Congress can muster the votes to overcome a presidential veto—the president’s signature or acquiescence to become law. This is the way the constitutional checks and balances system is designed to work. It makes the House responsible for crafting spending bills that will become law and responsible for any government shutdowns that occur when spending bills fail to become law. If the situation were reversed, and the Senate sent the House a spending bill it knew the House would reject because it contained $5.7 billion for border wall funding, Democrats would blame the Senate for the shutdown.
@Dan
Both Mitch McConnell and Kevin McCarthy are the sleaziest of sycophants for Trump; however, they've both been recognized for as much even by their own constituents.
Bringing back up their chances for getting re-elected is the ONLY reason you'll see them - and only occasionally when it's this blatant - at ;east appear to be doing something for anyone other than themselves.
1
@William Case
The situation would not be reversed. THe Democrats did not run a crazed narcissistic money-grubbing unethical white supremacist for the presidency and never will.
4
@Dan
What I mean is that if the Senate was responsible for originating revenue bill and sent a revenue bill to the House it knew the House would reject because it contend $5.7 billion for a border wall, the Democrats would have blamed the Senate for rthye shutdown.
TRUMP IS NOTHING If narcissistic. The wall is not to protect people, or to uphold the oath of office Trump took. It is to make him feel happy. The flimsiest, most self-centered option. Trump seems to be unable to distinguish between the wall being built and the construction of a Trump Tower. First off, the wall is a horizontal tower. Second, it is 3rd century technology. Third, There is strong bipartisan support of the priorities described by people who ARE experts in border safety. Admittedly, however, they are NOT experts in how to build a Trump Tower. Well, you can't have everything. But Trump can open his mouth and make a fool of himself by whining about his feelings on the matter. That's all he can state. The devil is in the details, though. Details that Trump, as Nancy Pelosi observed, lacks the attention span to discuss the wall. She's right, you know. He objects to memos of more than one page. Trump refused daily briefings on foreign affairs, saying that he did not wish to hear the same words repeated to him daily for the next 8 years. He is describing his perception of the language he hears. Trump is able to process individual words and brief phrases. However, critically, he is unable to construct a context or a narrative about the issues presented, say, in a daily national security report. In a recent speech, Trump told supporters that if they saw a person (meaning a protester) ready to throw a big red tomato, grab it. Show respect: GOP = RED!!
2
Get the kids back with their parents!
5
If you think there is a surge of aliens streaming across our borders now, wait until Pres. Trump signs on to this "open-border" deal!
For the record, and I am being purposeful limiting here, we are seeing at least 1500 aliens (a.k.a. asylees) crossing our borders every day. If this number significantly increases, we will know the reasons why, i.e., a good Donald Trump economy and the click-bait policy of "open border" Democrats.
@batazoid So, a bipartisan bill rests solely on the Democrats?
Second, if you are going to cite numbers, please provide a reputable source for your information.
1
Will somebody please put a muzzle on Ann Coulter before she shames Trump into another turn-around on the bill. Last shutdown she said she'd rather have the wall than worry about whether another government gift shop was open. Her trade in snide remarks is wearing thin.
7
Ann Coulter is the best thing to happen to the Dems!
2
Trump will sign it and he has to sign it unless he wants to destroy the Republican Party. Shutting down government for his crazy idea of building wall is very unpopular.
3
“I don’t think you’re going to see a shutdown,” he said. Just another meaningless yet infuriating/annoying sentence out of his mouth. If he doesn't know what he is gonna do ..... ? Maybe he will find out when he rereads some of his subsequent tweets.
Does anyone remember when he used to say things like, "I'll let you know on Thursday," and all the variations of that; and then the 'announcement' never came.
We are letting this nincompoop (among other things) treat this entire country like his personal puppet.
2
It doesn't matter if Trump is not happy with this deal. He works for the American people and majority of the people are happy with this deal. That is what compromise is all about. By the way, he had 2 years of Republican control to build the wall. It looks like they did not want to build it either. Plus isn't Mexico going to pay for the wall?????
6
Does Ann Coulter approve? The article doesn’t say and I guess this is why we don’t know if President Trump will veto or not. I’ve got my red MAGA cap on and I’m waiting to hear if the greatest president ever protects us from the evil gardeners, waiters & waitresses, retail clerks, carpenters, housekeepers and hotel clerks that fuel our economy. Oh, there might be just a tiny bit of an error in my reasoning....
4
More news about Trump’s hiring of illegals.
1
As soon as the Democrats win the oval office, they will tear Trump's divisive and racist wall down. Putting money on it now is just a waste of resources. In fact this whole immigration crisis is a manufactured one to bring his base to a boil. It only works because of their ignorance of who the immigrants really are.
7
We are witness to an administration led by an incompetent bully with no credentials to govern. He is a liar and a sloth who refuses to read the prepared daily briefings. His denial of fact based decision making, defaulting to his "gut", is enough for us to be entering a pathway for his removal.
Unfortunately, Don the Con imposes his moronic behavior on his base, including Fox News. It would be dangerous for him if his based decided to engage a critical analysis of the facts presented by his opposition.
It has been shown time and again that a new wall is a horrible waste of money. I do not want to see our tax dollars wasted. Make repairs. Improve point of entry capabilities. Add more agents. Add more judges to process asylum claims. Prevent visa overstayers. Come up with a policy that will make this hemisphere a safer place so people will be happy to stay in their country of origin. Border security is an ongoing process that will not go away because we wasted money on a vanity project.
I am sick and tired to this constant diversion tactic. We have a lot more to discuss. Unfortunately, Trump cannot see beyond his fake wall.
5
So the tension of wondering whether to pay the light bill rather than your kid's dentist or adding lots of hamburger helper to the grocery list rather than fish washes over Trump's head. He'd rather tell himself he's not happy and allow working people to dangle. A mean individual with no compassion for anyone not in his "club". Gallipoli would mean nothing to this guy.
3
I’m sure his supporters would be willing to donate their tax refunds to fund the wall. Oh, wait, no. Trump’s tax deal is costing many of those very supporters the refunds they were counting on.
1
$1.3B to be allocated for "border security." Does anyone know if there is a plan, a specific plan, for how this money is going to be spent? What has the Department of Homeland Security recommended? How much of last year's allocation remains unspent? And POTUS and company are going to rummage around to grab unspent billions from here and there. Rising Federal deficits and we are spending money like this?
2
@VM Well, given Trump's history of bankruptcies one would not refer to Trump as a financially responsible individual.
2
Trump has no choice but to accept. The chaos he created for 35 days will be remembered. I think he thought that most federal workers affected were Democrats so his base won't really care about the hurt put on them. Turns out some of those affected actually voted for him. And some Democrats actually voted for Trump that is why he won states like Wisconsin, Penn, Michigan by a few thousand votes. Mostly due to Democrats who crossed over to give him the electoral college while losing the popular vote.
1
Well since Trump has to have all eyes focused on him all the time he wouldn’t be the center of attention if he actually worked with the other politicians
If he conducted himself with dignity and respect Fox wouldn’t make him the only story everyday no matter how great the lie.
So, we are all delighted that this fool's errand ends with "... includes just $1.375 billion for new fencing...". ?
Have we become so out of touch that this staggering amount of money will be lost forever for a very small benefit ?
Spent on a real inner cities housing program this money would free thousands of American families from a life of worry few in Congress can even contemplate. And that would mean their children would have a chance in life they will not otherwise have. Same for schools, trade vocational training, etc. etc. etc.
Or try this - want safety at home ? Buy back 7 million guns in private hands for $200 each, surrendered voluntarily, as the beginning of a gun safety program that makes sense.
We will only be great again when we rid our country of the tyranny of Republican rule that clearly has no regard for the human values that give us all hope.
3
The Trump supporters can't get simple slogans out of their heads. "Build the Wall," "Lock her up." "Benghazi," has not gotten them too far down the road and it won't. The one question that neither his base nor Trump will answer is this, If the wall is so important why didn't you push it through both houses of Congress when you had them? "Lock her up" still goes on long after the FBI and even Trump's own Inspector General said that nothing illegal happened. Benghazi was investigated so many times and no guilt fell on Hillary. If anything the sister of the head of the Benghazi mission publicly stated that it was the GOP's fault as Congress would not fund more security for missions's like her brothers. When will the Trump base smarten up? That's the rhetorical question because all rational people no that the answer is never.
3
Congress must come up with a veto-proof vote.
1
"...Mr. Trump seemed to signal acceptance of the agreement, saying that it “will be hooked up with lots of money from other sources” and provide plenty of resources for border security even if not for the wall itself."
Trump is planning a series of national bake sales, garage sales and lawn sales. If they're good enough for art supplies for schools (and a little extra jingle in your change pocket), they're good enough for Trump!
1
Now we know what Trump really means by "The Art of the Deal." Step One: Bully and blackmail as with the shutdown to get what you demand. Step Two: If Step One fails, then resort to outright theft by taking money authorized for another purpose. It seems that Trump didn't learn much from Nancy Pelosi's Lesson One in how democracy works --Never negotiate with a hostage taker.
It may be time for Lesson Two: Keep your tiny hands out of the government cookie jar. The Speaker may have to introduce him to the concept of "the rule of law" by challenging in court his attempt to take unauthorized funds to pay for his wall as illegal.
4
Imagine if this were an episode of celebrity apprentice; and that trump was the contestant having explain his deal-making chops.
2
Honestly, I hope Trump vetoes the bill and so forces Senate Republicans to join the vote to override.
So many people are unhappy. Trump is unhappy. A majority of the American people are unhappy with Trump. The Republicans are unhappy.
I think the least we can do for all these unhappy people is to give them some time off to reflect on how to add happiness into their lives.
That would make me very happy.
2
"Trump is not happy.." And I care why? djt will never be happy until he has won the entire enchilada, 5.7 billions dollars for The Wall.
This war he continues to fuel morphed beyound The Wall a long time ago. It is all about him winning and if he doesn't ? His following will label him a weak man who caved in.
The man is not a leader, the man is a poor negotiator, the man's modus operandi is entirely self-serving.
Now is the time for him to loose the seat of the President of Our United States of America. djt will contiune to drive our democratic system of governing down this dark abyss and finding our way back out grows dimmer with each passing day.
1
Frankly, Scarlett, the Civil War is going to happen whether or not Trump signs the border barrier deal. He's not happy, after shutting down the government and getting the deal or no deal his GOP Senators are insisting he sign and not veto? Tough, Baby. Trump has been "moving things around" since long before he ran and was elected president two years ago. We all got his number, and hope it's up soon. We're all suffering from shutdown and Trump fatigue. Wondering if Trump will accept the "garbage compromise" he turned down in December? Stay tuned.
1
At 280 characters/Tweet, it will take the president quite a while before he has read the entire bill. And we know how he hates to rush to judgment.
Of course Donald Trump is not happy. The narcissism in him controls his life and does not allow him to be happy with anything except believing the best and biggest of everything. Being president has brought out the worst of it. His outright lies just to build his own ego will not let him be happy with anything but complete control. To those who know he lies and enjoys the games he is playing with people's lives, you are being conned.
9
As has been shown illegal drugs come up on roads at border crossing or through tunnels under walls. Crime isn't up and migrants are not storming the border. But Trump is president and he is determined no matter how stupid or damaging to his party to build his wall.
9
Migrants were storming the border and more are on the way. It is bad policy to simply allow border crossing at will without any control.
Using a barrier to force visitors to the country to use established border crossings is a popular means of controlling borders all over the world.
But, Trump. Am I right?
It says a lot about the Trump maladministration that despite all the major problems the US is facing (e.g. climate change, a healthcare crisis, ballooning student debt, enormous income inequality, a criminal injustice system, appalling gun violence), Trump wants to spend time and money building an entirely unnecessary wall for purely bigoted, xenophobic reasons.
Trump is a highly negative President who appeals to the worst in Americans. He is a monumental blight on the country and how it is perceived abroad. I hope Americans vote to end this madness in 2020.
24
And the world waits.....
Will Ann Coulter be fooled by the juvenille Finish the Wall signs posted at the latest Trump rally?
Will Rush Limbaugh be satisfied with a smidgen of fencing and, like Trump, now pretend in the land-of-make-believe that an actual wall is in the process of being constructed?
Will Sean Hannity give political weakling Donald Trump permission to sign the Congressional resolution?
Will Vladimir Putin give his hired stooge the OK to certify the deal?
Will the 38% of voters who are still supporting an unqualified carnival barker in the White House finally realize their President hasn't the foggiest idea of what he's doing?
23
I thought the promise was that Mexico was going to pay for the wall, not the American taxpayer?
15
The wall was a stunt and even the GOP knew it. That is why in 2 years of control in both houses, they never passed a spending bill with wall money. Now the president, as always, is blaming everyone but himself on a blind take on immigration. He is a dangerous person because of his lack of vision and beliefs. He must be confronted. Finally, the GOP is kind of waking up.
6
The Art of the Deal?
Let's face it, what Trump is being offered today is way, way short of the cost estimate he bandied about in Dec. of 2018, "as little as 15 billion".
Before the shutdown, Trump's Office of Budget Management came up with 5.7 billion, but all for naught. Remember the recent Government Shutdown? Now he's getting an offer of 1.375 billion to sign.
Boy, is Trump a deal-maker or what.
Oh, and by the way, all those placards we keep seeing at his rallies stating Promises Made-Promise Kept? What about Trump "promising" during the run-up to the 2016 election,
"MEXICO WILL PAY FOR THE WALL"?
10
Remember that it is our job to keep Trump happy. Not the other way around. If he is not happy. we all have to pay for it. That's our president?
5
Is Trump “happy” with his reputation? Does he care at all how few are “happy” with his performance by literally every measure? Does he understand the meaning of “literally”? Should I be frustrated that my time writing this would’ve been better spent sleeping (or playing old-school Nintendo) than conveying this for the sake of his attention?
7
While the hand-wringing and finger pointing continues, I have to ask: Why will 55 miles of barrier cost $25Million/mile?
8
The follow-up question has to be: Who is getting paid to fabricate, build and install these barriers, and what connection, if any, do they have with The Trump Organization and/or The Kushner companies?
1
Sorry, I just woke up from a coma when Trump announced his candidacy. He won? What the heck is up with Mexico? Aren’t they supposed to pay for the wall, right? How could we American’s fall for that trope? I mean vote for him? Must be something in the water. Wall Schmall. BTW They still don’t have clean drinking water in Flint. I’m going back to my coma. It was safer and saner.
17
@M. A. Davis Even still you had more awareness and sense while in your coma (if you really were in one and this is not just a clever joke) than most Americans do awake. That's how he got elected. Welcome back to consciousness!
So, they debated about beds - what a smoke curtain!
Because, no single mentioning of DACA or any other change to the better on immigration regulations - well done Reps, winning time to continue the terror on those people, unfazed!
2
What do Coulter and Hannity say? Plenty of more executive time before Friday to find out.
7
Southern border? And neglect the coasts and northern border? Just squeezing the balloon. Walls on all borders and a roof over the nation. Or treat and supply those addicted or habituated to drugs and overhaul immigration laws.
3
It's very sad that this man is our president. Could you imagine a worse president? The worst part is we have to listen to his tantrums, lies and stupidity on a daily basis. It's an exercise in depression to read the paper every day. On the plus side he's so incompetent and disengaged he hasn't done the kind of damage someone who is competent could have done (think Dick Cheney). Democrats, dig deep and find some candidates who can inspire and lead. I'm not impressed with those who have declared so far.
9
"On Tuesday, however, Mr. McConnell made clear that he was ready to put the new spending package to a vote even though the president had not endorsed it and, notably, did not rule out overriding a veto if Mr. Trump turned against the compromise as he did two months ago."
Do the Republicans really have the temerity to override a Trump veto? I don't believe it. But it would prove that at least some of them have a conscience!
2
Well, that, or McConnell believes (like his immediate boss, and me) that between an emergency declaration and the fact Democrats gave up on the beds issue AND gave him ANY money for the bigotry monument, that the GOP won this fight and a veto would be moot.
The Democrats will sue (I hope) over the emergency thing and the theft of disaster money to build the monument, but Individual-1 will just make sure his friends in the stolen Court hear the case in his favor.
No, I'm not convinced he's defeated here, at all.
1
Negotiation and compromise have no place in the "I win-you lose" world of Donald Trump. In his fantasy world, he is always the winner. Simply attacking the other side (whether it is a lender, a contractor, or Congress), he believe that he has won. By rejecting the DACA deal, he believed that he had won. By shutting down the government, he believed that he had won. And, now, by attacking the Democrats over the latest proposals, he believes that he is still the winner. But, this facade of winning is clearly starting to crack. With Ann Coulter attacking him as a loser and a wimp, his win-win streak among his most ardent supporters appears to be over.
1
Trump just has to stand in front of a chain link fence and call it a wall. His supporters would believe him.
5
A weak President is one who first must get clearance from a radio personality and a cable news host before deciding upon a budget negotiation position.
9
I guess we can now say with certainty that México will not pay for the wall. I wonder if Mr. Trump talks about it in his political rallies.
8
at this rate we are paying 2.5million per mile-does that not bother anyone else???? clearly funds could be better spent on more imprtant issues in this country.
4
"I don't think you're going to see a shutdown" is a Trumpian double-talk response. It means "it's not me who will shut it down, it's them".
This way he washes his hands of culpability, as always.
4
The idea of shaping government policy around what makes Trump happy is like asking the ogre under the bridge how many people he wants for dinner.
5
Well if he's not happy he should just resign!
Oh wait a minute, then we get Pence.
Rock and a hard place. Scylla and Charybdis.
Never mind. Forget I said anything.
5
First, we had The Art of the Deal. Now, we have The Emperor's New Close.
6
Not happy with it? He doesn’t really have a choice this time. Especially with Republicans supporting this.
2
Trump could issue "Wall Bonds" to raise money for his wall !!
I'm sure that his base and big corporations would contribute handsomely to his efforts.
3
Democrats were so busily trying to thwart Trump on the wall, that they missed a real opportunity. Their last minute insistence on "catch-and-release", which is the net effect of their bed demand, was a telltale sign that their objective wasn't to reach a comprehensive deal -- ex., one that involved DACA for instance -- but to play games.
Last year democrats were willing to shut down the government over DACA. Now they're about little more than opposition.
2
@AACNY
So sorry to hear your treatment isn't working out...
1
Odysseus,
Nothing can help these people. Trump publicly proclaims to senate leadership in a televised meeting he will not only shut down the government but is proud to do so, then he does it. And his followers still say the Democrats did it. Trump followers deserve pity.
A couple of weeks ago Trump caved. Now it seems the democrats have caved.
I’m ambivalent about the fence; I’ve lived 30 miles from the border here in San Diego my whole life and we have had a fence for a long while now, and I’m sure it helps. It seems ok for us to fund money for some more barriers where they might be needed.
What I’m angry about is that DACA didn’t seem to be a part of this agreement. Think what you like, but to be sending people that have grown up as children here, knowing the United States as their only home, to Mexico to start new lives is just hateful.
3
It's not at all a problem solving deal (neither of fixing immigration problem, nor that of the border security as such), but a desperate attempt to avert another shutdown by appeasing Trump through offering him a face saving opportunity.
1
Remember the Mondale Reagan contest?--the Democrats are headed for a repeat.
1
@Jonathan
This won't be the first time Pelosi leads the democrats off a cliff. They overreached on Obamacare and received one of the worst shellackings (Obama's word) in history.
Democrats are incapable of governing because when they overreach, they lurch left. The country responds by centering itself. It may very well happen again.
2
Maybe it’s time we try the left side of things. The right sure has made a mess.
1
And Mr. President, We are NOT satisfied with you.
16
i don't think he knows where the veto box is.
3
The most effective and economical way to build Trump's wall is the way he has been working on all along: by gaslighting his base into thinking it's already built. His efforts along these lines are already working on some, according to their comments in online forums. If he can persuade his easily led supporters to believe this, then his campaign promise is fulfilled via the lowest cost means, and the environment, the economy, and the reputation of the USA will all be the better for it.
5
Agree except for our reputation. We are quite properly held in contempt by the rest of the world. They think when Trump leaves all will revert to previous times, you know the good old days of Bush Cheney Obama and a well run war machine.
No withdrawal talk. We're there forever. There will always be volunteers who think they are patriotic. Then they come back and commit suicide.
2
Eh? He's not happy? Aw, shucks.
9
This clearly shows that Trump was trampled over badly. His propaganda of lies didn’t work. His threats didn’t work. Republicans and even right wing commentators such Hannity and Ann Coulter kneeled in front of Nancy Pelosi. Mitch told the president he got a good deal. Because if he waits longer he will get even less. These phony conservatives are getting paid to say the things they say. In the process, they hurt government workers and their families with little children. What kind of sick people would enjoy this?
13
If the Democrats get their act together by choosing a nominee that can best Trump instead of indulging in mad combinations of socialist utopio, student grandstanding and anti semitism, Trump won't be around long enough to build his wall.
5
I watched about 2 minutes of the Trump rally in El Paso to promote his wall. (During that time, an innocent BBC cameraman was assaulted and thrown to the floor by a cowardly approach-from-behind MAGA who saw an "enemy of the people".) The atmosphere, the hate, and the rhetoric on display at the rally scared me very much. It reminded me of those grainy newsreels I watched as a kid of Nazi rallies in 1930's Germany. Very scary. Very.
40
There’s a reason Donald Trump seeks out, attracts and welcomes the support of neo-Nazis here and abroad.
Reality Check why build wall is futile when mexico send tractor trailers across border checks loaded with poison herion an meth. Any other country would take this as act of war an send tanks in end this crazynest once an for all. Mexico cant clean up act usa has no choice but to free people mexico an central america from corupt governments. End of the Wall .
1
@jerry lee-- Right... How's that plan worked anytime in the last 120 years?
Two way street, man. That heroin and meth is going to customers inside...the US. If there wasn't a market for it, why was El Chapo standing trial?
2
Well, do tell!! A lot of people are not too happy!
5
What should we do when trump is not happy?
6
@Gene - Know we are on the right track.
5
When is the media going to clue in on the joke? Neither Trump nor his base see the "Wall" as more than a metaphor. It represents their disdain for all their enemies (liberals, non-whites, immigrants, gays...). And, in fact, such a wall has been going up since Trump was elected and continues to be erected. You can see it in the faces of the people at his rallies. They understand the "Wall" will never be built as an actual physical barrier. They don't care. As long as he strikes out, Don Quixote style, at their various evil windmills he will remain their savior.
20
What "other methods" does Trump think he's got?
* Finding the change in the couch cushions at the White House?
* Writing in the amount in the bill before he signs it? Psst, Trump, it don't work that way.
* Calling up Mexico, asking for the money?
* Writing an Executive Order to move money around (It don't work that way either, Trump).
*Declaring a National Emergency? Yeah, that won't go over well and you'll be blocked immediately by court order, Trump.
5
@Libby -Using campaign funds???
1
Trump’s Republican Senate majority deal... so it’s his shut down AGAIN ... if he doesn’t sign it. Period!
2
Pardon my Canadian ignorance, and please enlighten me if you can, but I thought that funds could only be allocated for things that had been approved in previous budgets. And, in order to approve a bill, there would need to be an estimate that includes scope, schedule, and budget for the planned project. This is basic project planning and management.
Has the need for a wall been scoped? Has a budget and timeline been addressed? I see so many figures being offered, anywhere from $11 billion to $60 billion and more. And a timeline that might encompass decades.
I know Trump is not a complete fool, as he's overseen construction of projects in the past, but it seems he thinks he can wave a magic wand and demand a wall without any accounting whatsoever. It leads me to believe that he knows his 'big, beautiful wall' is nothing more than a ruse to dupe his ardent followers who know even less about protocol than he does. He wants their votes, their donations, and their adulation, and thinks nothing of pulling the wool over their eyes to get it.
11
Another Trump shutdown, and right after a bi-partisan solution is presented to him, will get him under 35% approval for the foreseeable future.
3
I hope Trump vetoes this "compromise". It's a bad deal for Democrats, because this starts the process for a wall. It's a bad deal for local landowners , because the government will steal their land, and it's a really bad deal for all of us, because it's an economic boondoggle. All to satisfy a vanity project for Trump.
14
And a majority of Americans and our allies are not happy with Trump. Who cares if he’s happy or unhappy? That has nothing to do with our state of the union. (It’s lousy)
8
Where is the emergency? Who says there is an emergency? Trump? When was the last time he spoke the truth? Split the difference? Why? The wall will not prevent illegal immigration nor will it stop the illegal drugs. Period. Trump’s argument is based on a sham that has no basis in reality. When there is no basis in reality, why are we giving any credence to his arguments?
4
@Redoctbloom - it seems the emergency is that Trump may not get his own way - this is big for him and a first in his life!!
1
Congress should be prepared to bypass Trump. If they are he will sign it.
4
Trump is nothing but a thorn in the side of House and Senate members who have been writing and negotiating budget deals for years. Congress owes Trump nothing if they have the votes to override a possible veto; getting to 66 in the Senate should be their goal, not figuring out when to give Trump a compliment or sweetener to get his signature.
I'll be glad to return to the POTUS being more mature and reliable than a 2 year old.
4
I do not understand how your President is allowed to blatantly lie to the American people unchecked by Congress, as this goes deep into the realms of political propaganda which is extremely dangerous for American politics. I believe Trump has done a great thing for America by showing the people how not to be a president. He has bent political norms to his will, and so they need to be changed by legislation to statutes that must be obeyed including presidential tax returns. He will fight tooth and nail to stop this as he obviously has a lot to hide, but the truth will out. He cannot get his wall as a legacy so he will invent a parade with his name on it. Tragic really.
29
I guess translating Trump lying into British English would be something like pulling a "Boris Johnson".
3
The thing that Trump seems incapable of understanding is his shrinking political clout. Nancy Pelosi owns him. Mitch McConnell is backing away from him. The Freedom Caucus influences nothing. If he vetoes this one, Anne Coulter (forgotten but not gone) will cheer. Americans will boo. Say what you will, but most Americans like it when government works well. Not when it’s closed because a President plays to his base.
17
@RodA
Trump has widespread support on immigration. While the democrats have fixated on the wall, his supporters and most independents remain concerned about the issue illegal immigration.
Only Trump is on the right side of the immigration issue. Democrats now appear to be too strongly supporting illegal immigration.
2
My guess is he balks on signing. His base will eat it up. When he thinks he can't milk the situation for more attention he'll reluctantly sign the bill .....but he'll claim victory and they'll believe it.
5
Trump doesn't even have to sign it. As long as he doesn't veto it, the Congressionally approved bill will pass into law after 10 days without his signature. Of course, Trump will ultimately covet the opportunity to sign a new law so he can claim the credit and hold a fancy 'very presidential' signing ceremony.
4
In the vein that "nobody's happy if mama's not happy," doubtless the 40% who approve of PT's actions as Potus - and have approved it for some time, maybe from the beginning - are unhappy, too.
But in their heart of hearts, I gotta believe, some approvers - probably a goodly number - have to be irritated and embarrassed for their inability to make sense of such basis PT may have for his unhappiness.
Why? Because they realize that what PT has said by way of explanation lacks even a beginning, middle and end, as well as lacking the logical correctness - but material falsity - of the old chestnut of every course in minor logic, "all apples are oranges, a peach is an apple, a peach is an orange."
Recalls to this observer Pete Seeger's "Waist Deep In The Big Muddy." Of course, there also have to be a goodly number of PT's supporters who are quite happy to reflexively, instinctively embrace his unhappiness.
1
America needs much stronger immigration control.
Dems are strangling immigration control.
This supposed "deal" does not provide it.
Repubs in Congress ought to vote against it.
If Congress votes for it anyway,
the Dems will need to provide most of the votes.
Then Repubs ought to field challengers to the Dems in 2020
who will put the Dem votes for weak immigration control in front of the voters then.
1
Who deported more folks over staying their visas? George W or Obama? (It was Obama) Congress approves the $budgets to staff the jobs needed to manage immigration to the USA. Blame them.
When did the purpose of appropriations legislation become the happiness of the executive? Is that what the founders meant by "the pursuit of happiness?"
8
It is in the Republicans' interest for the 2020 elections NOT to give full funding for "The Wall." That keeps it a Trump rally cry and as Trump's fortunes go, so go all Republicans' in Congress. He has already coined his re-election campaign theme, "Finish the Wall!" This is like banning abortion. As long as Republicans can hold out the carrot that Roe v. Wade will be overturned and not a single abortion will be performed at some point in the near future, they have the votes of a certain number of people who might consider economic issues or healthcare issues and find the Democratic policies more likable. Keeping the unfinished "wall" a controversy in every budget bill ensures that Republicans will keep their base from peeling off to Democrats, especially when the economy turns sour. Republicans always play the long game.
6
You know what would be really easy?
Let's not build anything and say we did! Trump is the perfect liar and his supporters are the perfect believers! Mission accomplished.
9
As my 89-year-old Mom draws closer to her end, we’ve become much closer than ever before. I see my Mom through a new pair of glasses (to borrow another’s phrase). All the infighting among her four offspring matters not a whit to my mom. She is sweetly, tenderly, resignedly awaiting her next level. And she is loving without restraint.
What does this have to do with Trump?
I only know what I read about him and see on TV. From those sources he appears to be a man with a perpetual hole in his soul. A hole he cannot fill. But he keeps trying to fill it: with money, with ever-younger women, more power, bigger and bigger whoppers (lies); and ever-more bravado. He literally corrals people (his MAGA hat wearing acolytes) to be his cheering section so he can appear to be liked when filmed with them.
His life is a non-stop effort to appear invincible. Likely because he strongly feels and fears his mortality. He has probably led an empty, selfish life, taking far more than he’s ever given. He therefore has no happy memories. So he cannot rest! He must create chaos (distractions). He is an empty shell covering an empty hole.
I am enjoying my time with my mom. Conversely, I am guessing that Mr. Trump will not be enjoying his time at any point between now and his end. So sad.
34
How about
1) mandating e-verify: Instituting steep fines for offending employers? Takes care of “illegal aliens steal our jobs”. Generates revenue without billions in wall construction and takes care of both visa overstays and illegal entry
2) government sponsored health insurance: let government act like our employer does and negotiate a couple of plans with all major insurers. Mandate that everyone with no insurance otherwise buy it. Bigger the pool, cheaper the cost. Put Medicaid folks on it as well.
5
Of course, he's not saying whether he'll sign it. He first has to hear what the commentators at FOX have to say.
8
It’s a fair guess that the walls around elite progressive Democrats’ homes and estates are more impassable and more expensive than the money the Senate is voting on for the budget soon.
However, for the American hate-Trump-&-the-workers group - who had sworn not a dollar for the border - this is a clear indication that the Democrat-heavy polling is going Mr. Trump’s way.
Considering the usual political bias built into nearly all polls, you have to think this President’s support is close to 60-40 across the country.
4
At best (or worst) the wall around the "elite liberal" homes are no more or less costly as the walls around the Republican elites' homes. And neither cost nearly as much as is allowed for wall building in the proposed plan. I call it a wash - which negates the premise of your argument. As for "the workers", the same coal miners without jobs before the election still don't have jobs. Manufacturing cities of old still have no new factories and one of the larger employers in America, Amazon, still pays their starting warehouse workers about 11 bucks an hour - while their degreed engineers probably earn five times that. How is Trump's "drain the swamp" helping you?
2
Trump lost. Period. He shut down government and is getting less than he would have before the shutdown. Now he is trying to cover up by claiming that the Wall is being built--a complete lie, as usual. The MAGA-heads don't care. They love his lies, it seems. Who are these fools?
14
Trump actually managed to get LESS than originally offered by holding the country hostage. The Great Negotiator.
Meanwhile, he’s financing the wall with other money and it’s being built as we speak? Sooo, you tortured the country for a month, including withholding paychecks from millions of Americans, for absolutely no purpose whatsoever?
Forget President, I’ve never seen a worse leader in any walk of life than this guy. And can’t imagine one.
20
If the WALL is a life and death thing for him here is the solution: start a Go Fund Me to raise the fund for that WALL and he himself set an example for his troop: starting tomorrow stop using the Air Force One and use one of the Air Force C 130. The saving money deposit directly to that Go Fund Me for the WALL.
7
Trump, sir, please veto if you feel it is needed. We will sacrifice with you.
2
Include me out of this "we".
6
@Larry D
+1 . Trump is crazy for thinking he can just steal the money from Americans in a last ditch attempt. But its still happening anyway. Anyone for Asset Forfeiture should automatically become a victim of it.
Trump is not happy...lol What makes this guy happy?
4
I think the thought that someone is suffering because of his actions is what makes Trump happy. In all of his boasting he is the best. In fact, he is best at being the most miserable excuse for a man to ever walk this earth. We are all poorer for having to put up with him.
1
If Donald "Art of the Deal" Trump rejects a $25B offer and accepts a $1B offer, Dems really should have held out longer.
One more week and Trump would have offered to pay for his wall out of his own pocket!
12
@Alex
Maybe, with a bit more time, he’d offer to leave.
3
@Alex
Trump couldn't pay $1B out of pocket. He hasn't got it. He's blown his entire stash and is being fronted by various int'l oligarchs.
Trump has made incompetence an art form.
2
Trump is not going to shut down the government. It would be political suicide. He's a a survivor and a spin-ster and he will wing it with his hardcore base.
2
He's waiting for his orders from Fox/Coulter.
9
Is it really possible? "Butterflies stop the wall.”
FANTASTIC!!!
Construction of the first extension of the current barriers, 14 miles of a levee wall in the Rio Grande Valley, is scheduled to begin this month, but a butterfly center has asked a judge to block construction because the barrier would bisect its property.
13
Trump can veto the bill and blame the congress for not passing a good bill. Then declare national emergency on the shutdown and fund the IRS and DHS and the wall. Let the EPA and other agencies wither. Congress will never muster enough votes to overturn the emergency and the courts will never shutdown DHS and the IRS and the wall by association.
2
Once a government program starts it just gets bigger. This won’t be any different.
He'll sign.
Mitch already told him he wouldn't support another shutdown.
4
So best as I know now, both Rush and Sean are saying that Trump should agree to this garbage deal, take the $900 million for more wall, and THEN claim a National Emergency to get his way ... and votes 21 months.
Yep, exactly what our founding fathers wanted from our President.
8
It’s time to stop giving any importance or attention to what Ann Coulter says.
13
@marsha
It's many, many years past time to stop giving any attention to Ann Coulter. Her only genuine achievements are her victory as Viper of the Year in 2006, and her current appointment as Ice Queen in Skagway, Alaska.
Birds turn to stone and fall from trees when she walks by...
2
The liberals should be happy as now there is little chance of another government shutdown. They will not be able to criticize President Trump for depriving Americans of their salaries. They will find fault with something else instead as usual.
President Trump didn't get his $5.7 billion wall but nonetheless he did get some money after all. Something is better than nothing at least for now. I wonder how Nancy Pelosi feels about this?
1
She’ll be feeling meh.. manufactured solutions to manufactured crises
2
Wasn't Mexico going to pay for it?
3
El Chapo made billions off his drug dealing over many years. Someone suggested we could use these ill gotten gains towards our wall. This should be put to a vote. The Republicans would vote willingly for this but the Democrats would never go along. They have proved over and over again they do not want a wall. I am shocked that they finally agreed to the $1.3 billion figure. The Republicans better sign the bill quickly before they change their mind.
3
@WPLMMT
You are very confused and misinformed.
You dont think the EL CHAPO trial was a little to perfectly timed , over-publicized , and conveniently concluded just as Trump needed a source of $ for his wall?
Puzzles might get finished but not by themselves. They are carefully positioned in place.
It's ok if you think it's just a coincidence. Most do. But more & more people daily , are finally realizing they got distracted and misled. Its not to late. But it is much more serious then most think or even wish to know.
Please take a moment to educate yourself on the gross injustice of Asset Forfeiture practices and the havoc it is wreaking on the AMERICAN public.
Its worth the read. I PROMISE!
2
What will Trump do? Only the shadow cabinet knows.
5
Only Trump knows or Putin, Trump still plays the Apprentice game.
It’s still just a publicity game to him. He doesn’t realize McConnell put him in this Position.
It was a deliberate moved to cut off Trumps route to a pivot towards the Democrats, Trump was a Democrat until the GOP game him the Front Page.
If Trump realises he can pivot Democrat and be the most popular President ever then McConnell is in big trouble he’ll be the bad guy.
2
@Bigsister
Actually he's already doing it and is pushing for more. He even mistakenly mentioned he was in favor of Asset Forfeiture previously which prompted many Americans to search the topic. Most are still in disbelief , but the facts dont lie. I would just tell you and save you the time but its something you have to see with your own eyes. It's like trying to imagine the devastation of a natural disaster with out any pictures. You won't fully understand it unless you look for yourself.
Trump you get a B+ For the elaborate attempt at misleading the people , but not everyone fell for it. Overall grade is F
At least he has ample “Executive Time” to contemplate the finer points of his intractably ridiculous and juvenile posturing and ignorance on this subject. Flip through the witness disclosures of El Chapo trial in Brooklyn and it is obvious that the WALL is not an answer to the dark side of drugs, immigration and such.
7
Who cares if he’s happy. What matters is what is best for the country. It’s time we stop catering to the tantrums of a know nothing, spoiled demagogue.
14
[Corrected]. Deserves competitive bids. $25 million/mile for a fence of small steel girders?
1
He demanded a ransom of 1000 miles of concrete and steel in exchange for 800,000 hostages.
He settled for 55 miles of concertina wire and a handful of "CUIDADO PISO MOJADO" signs.
This man "authored" Art of the Deal?. This man doesn't know when to fold 'em.
11
"I'm not happy."
Who cares? We're not going to crown you emperor anyway.
Why do true believers so often follow clown-like figures like Berlusconi, and Trump, not to mention the deadly buffoons of history? What is going on inside those garish red hats and behind those white potato faces shouting out his name?
11
Nancy wins again!!
18
Donald "We'll See" Trump.
Keep people guessing by either not committing to anything or by partially committing to many competing things.
The good news is this term is half over. The bad news is we're still two years from being able to get people back in government who actually put the public interest ahead of personal or corporate interests.
9
@Third.coast
2yrs could be to late. He's putting on a pretty good show to cover up his real agenda. He thinks he can steal the money from the American people. Very serious problem that's being downplayed. Please take the time to understand what Asset Forfeiture really is and how it's destroying people's lives. Many states have acknowledged that it's a gross injustice and misinterpretation of a Law but are doing little to nothing about it.
Ask Ann Coulter? Ask Putin? One of them will know what Trump will do.
18
trump has never been happy. ever.
12
@me
Correction. He was very happy when it was confirmed years ago that he had amassed a greater pile of money than his father had.
That was how he measured his happiness until political fame and power came his way.
1
Hey! What the...Hey! Where is the mandatory E-Verify in this deal; did someone forget it?
If Pres. Trump wants to make this bad deal good, demand "mandatory E-Verify)...that'll teach 'um.
3
Representatives from agricultural districts will never support mandatory e-verify.
2
Hence everyone’s blasé approach to the wall. if the wall would be as effective as e-verify, they would oppose it too.
1
I hope the President signs the deal if he is really interested to have some sort of a chance in 2020. Shutting down the government departments repeatedly on trivial matters is suicide for his party.
3
Whose afraid of Trump?
well I guess it might be the GOP in the Senate who go along to get along.
and won't stand up to those who surround Trump …
Mitch McConnell seems to be terrified of Trump.....can't say no ...well what WOULD happen if Trump's potential veto was overturned by the GOP Senate ….???...
What is McConnell afraid of....isn't that the question that is
not being asked ?
7
@Carol B. Russell
Close. But there's 1 better I can think of since I didn't fully understand it at first. What is Asset Forfeiture? Shocking Spoiler Alert: Its NOT what he says it is. Not by a long shot. Please take the time to educate yourself on the subject. Ok here's a hint , he plans to steal the money from a certain country. Ok 1 more : Its NOT Mexico but they did fall over laughing when they figured it out.
Deserves competitive bids. $55 million/mile for a steel fence?
2
This deal is not being done to make trump happy yikes
5
Oh, boo-hoo. President Awesome isn’t happy with the deal. Who cares if he’s happy. It’s not about him. Whatever happened to his amazing negotiation and deal-making skills? I’ve seen hourly workers negotiate better time off deals that this joke of a President. He’s an embarrassment to the entire American civilization. Disgraceful.
21
Shifting funds around without authorization from Congress is a violation of the Purpose Statute and a felony under the Anti-Deficiency Act. It is also a violation of the Constitution's checks and balances and would make Trump an oath-breaker. It may also be revolting against the Constitutional authority of Congress, i.e., the United States Government, and technically may be considered insurrection as that statute does not expressly require resistance by force of arms against people, merely rebellion against US laws or authority.
9
@Bob
He using a cover to mislead the American people into believing that ASSET FORFEITURE is just funds seized from drug Cartels and King Pins. Which is very FALSE. He has law enforcement lifting cash off anyone they stop on the highway since anyone stopped "could be" involved with a drug cartel or criminal enterprise even if there's no suspicion of it. He's stealing money from Americans! He's gotta go!!!!
Ok, let me help you there. If he doesn't receive a large amount of praise for his great and historic leadership in making this bill then he will veto it. Doesn't matter that he had virtually nothing to do with constructing it, and actively obstructed it. Since Democrats are unlikely to come through, looks like it's up to the Republicans and Fox News.
3
Short history on Trump’s wall dealing:
1. In 2016 Mexico was supposed to pay for wall, deal failed.
2. In 2017 was offered 25 billions in exchange for DACA, deal failed.
3. In 2018 was offered 1.6 billion for fencing, deal failed.
4. Today is offered 1.37 billion for fencing.
He better take the deal because soon there will be no deal for master deal maker.
39
Trump could be anointed Supreme Leader and would still remain not happy. "I should have been anointed sooner!"
7
Let's keep this real simple:
Whenever Mr Trump is not happy, the majority of sentient and sensible US citizens are very happy.
16
Can somebody in IT just change Trump's wifi password and stop the carnage?
21
Let's have Trump negotiate directly with Vicente Fox:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYZKrn7Bbl8
3
It is clear that trump does not read, but we know he likes to watch TV. Someone should direct him to view a special on the many great walls of history. Spoiler alert: none proved to be effective forever.
11
OK.
So Trump doesn't like his non-wall.
And the majority of Americans don't like him,
Are we even?
29
There’s a cynical side of me that does not believe Trump really wants this wall. What he wants is the issue of the wall to campaign on.
19
I totally agree with this. The wall is one thing his base can understand.
8
Hard not to gloat, but I realize gloating is for losers like our current President. So, I think when it comes to assuring a better, more effective and humane approach to border security- while at the same time avoiding more pain for our loyal Federal Workers- a decorous 'Good job all around' will be more than sufficient (But why do I have a sinking feeling that our Commander-and-Chief will somehow attempt to insert some sort of cheap switch, before this deal is signed into law?)
6
Trump is a failed actor turned reality TV con. His daddy didn't let him pursue his real passion, so he's trying it in the real world.
9
Speed bumps.
That is what Trump appears to be holding out for.
4
The policy makers can state that $6 billion is chicken feed, fine. Please insert chicken feed into the 'bankrupt' Social Security program.
Or fix the lead poisoning in Flint, then put the $5.5 billion left over to fund IRS tax collection of offshore profits.
How about public campaign financing? You know, to combat the open bribery.
17
Trump doth protest a bit too much.
He's bluffing. He's happy he even got a deal.
Remember, this guy's a con and that's the key indicator as we decide what to think.
It's like walking away after you have a conversation with a shady character and yoiu find yourself feeling for your wallet.
14
A bit? That’s all he does is whine. About everything. All the time.
3
Start a GO FUND ME to raise funds for "The Wall". It's not that Dems don't want protection along the border, it's the exorbitant amount of money being requested. Shameful proposition so many U.S. citizens have recently lost so much due to natural disasters. The timing is unfortunately off for funding otherwise.
5
@MrsB Exactly. There are a thousand rugged miles where a wall means nothing. Places where border patrol officers take days to arrive when called; a wall does nothing.
As the (paraphrased) saying goes, "Show me a six billion dollar 16-foot wall, and I'll show you a fifteen dollar 18-foot ladder." I know, I know, it takes some 3rd grade math to understand the irony. I'm sure the president will get it eventually...
6
Congress worked together to develop this compromise. If Trump does not sign this one, he once again owns the shutdown lock, stock and barrel and all of the bad fallout from it. Once again, proving he's incompetent and juvenile.
11
I guess on Friday he gets to say "No Deal!!" to Howie Mandel as Regis Philbin waits in the wings wondering if Trump will phone a friend.
Will it be Hannity, Coulter or Limbaugh?
Meanwhile, the rest of us have another two years before we can finally say, "you're fired!"
14
Trump is getting entirely predictable. He loves creating drama and suspense about everything, and now his big decision of whether to not sign the bill. He's really just running his reality TV show thrilled (like all narcissists are) that EVERYONE IS PAYING ATTENTION TO HIM...waiting with baited breath for his latest pronouncement.
Will Babby Donnie throw his food on the floor and scream if he doesn't get his way or will be act like an adult and cooperate with the well engineered compromise?
My money is on the former. He's having the time of his life with all the attention he's commanding. And he going to run the "brown people are your enemy and they want to kill and rape you...BUT I'll build a big strong wall to protect you" scam for as long as he can.
9
He will cave, again !
3
The way 45 keeps talking about his wall being built, and has been doing so for quite sometime, and his supporters carrying signs stating “finish the wall,” which implies that the end of the wall building is near, then it is fair to say that by end of this spring, the wall will be completely finished.
There you go, the wall is there , built and done.
I have a feeling that this is 45’s plan.
4
Trump won. He will sign the bill. Pelosi caved on her "not one dollar for a wall." If she and the other democrats really want to call it something different, than so be it. We now have multiple choice transgender identifications so just go to the Thesarus and find another word for Wall. Democrats need to learn that they can't beat Trump at Trump's game. He is the King of Outrage and no one can compete. Just ask Senator Warren who he played like the fiddle on Prince of Tides.
2
Honestly can’t tell if the above is serious.
13
And Mexico will pay for it.
@Garry
Sure thing, Garry.
Waaa! That's too bad. We're not happy with him being President.
11
#nottheartofthedeal
3
What are the chances that Sean Hannity takes his marching orders on issues like this from the Russians? Seems like he is constantly feeding Trump advice that is bad for the country. Perhaps in one of their one-on-one meetings, Putin said to Trump, “Just listen to Fox News for your orders. We’ve got a couple of them on the payroll. Oh and definitely listen to Ann Coulter. The stuff she says is so crazy that you know for sure it’s coming from us.”
4
Trump's going to fold like a cheap suit. He's scared to death of being humiliated again by Pelosi. Fun theater.
7
Two years into the Trump presidency and the stable genius and master deal maker has not once called Mexico to ask money for the wall.
Is it because:
1–he does not have a phone
2–he is a coward as Coulter and Avenatti have said
6
@Opinioned!
Actually he did talk on the phone to the Mexican president in 2017. He asked him to please not mention Mexico refusing to ever pay for his wall, acknowledging that he knew they never would.
6
@Opinioned! Or he's not in the office. Too nice a day for desk work.
So Trump says he’s not sure if he’ll sign the compromise bill passed by both parties in both chambers.
Guess he has to wait until all of his Fox News cabinet, Ann Coulter, and Rush Limbaugh weigh in first.
They seem to be the real power brokers here. Trump needs their permission first.
12
Why doesn’t Trump just tweet that the wall has already been built? His supporters won’t doubt him.
36
@Ken
Ding, ding! We have a winner. You are absolutely correct. His followers believe anything he tells them.
17
@Ken ~
BEST of the year!
11
@Ken Yes. "The Emperor's New Wall."
3
1.37 billion unused monies for the wall three years ago. passed by the dems/ repub Congress. Sitting inside of a bank ? Trust fund?
Now 1.37 billion potential monies to build a wall.
just sitting in some? Bank? trust fund?
2
Republicans could have voted for the border wall when they controlled everything, but they did not. So the rejection of the wall is a bipartisan rejection.
20
Even if Trump swears to God on his mother that he will do one thing or another, no one (and I mean NO ONE: not the Democrats, not the Republicans, not even his own staff) have any idea whether he will or he won't.
Though his supporters gleefully think this makes him "unpredictable," in truth, it actually just makes him completely unreliable, perhaps the single worst quality for any head of state, let alone the most powerful head of state on Earth.
20
@itsmecraig
Considering the way he has acted in the past, changing his stand on things over and over, I doubt Trump knows what he is going to do either.
7
Every time trump tries to renegotiate, change his mind, renegotiate again he loses ground. Great deal maker! He is not happy with 55 miles of wall. Will he try and renegotiate for 5 miles of wall? The Dems led by Speaker Pelosi is taking trump to the cleaners every time he reneges on a deal. He should have accepted the deal when it was 25 Billion.
Coulter, Hannity and Limbaugh have cost trump a lot of wall. Will he continue to listen to them until there's only a couple inches of wall left to negotiate?
14
trump has failed miserably to convince the majority of people (citizens as well as legislators) that his vanity project is necessary. The only ones who want it are his ever dwindling base supporters, but they never were a majority. he couldn’t even convince Republican lawmakers to fund it, and they had control of House and Senate for two years.
trump has no idea how to make a deal, he lacks basic communication skills, he hasn’t a clue as to how government functions, and he can’t even stay on course on his pet projects. Sad.
10
@Ernest Zarate Of course he knows how to make a deal. His lawyers have paid off lots of those women.
Who pays for IQ45's campaign rally in El Paso, Texas? I sure don't want it on my taxpayer tab.
Grrrr... wonder if he bills himself to use his own golf courses. On U.S. Would not for a second put it past him. After all, he used trump foundation charitable funds to pay $7 for Barron's Cub Scout dues. How low can you go?
11
Waaaaahh! I got played. Waaaaah!
A few weeks ago, in a meeting with restrictionist immigration group leaders, Mr. Trump faulted the former Speaker Paul D. Ryan, a fellow Republican, for repeatedly deferring action on the wall, with promises of doing it down the road. “Now he’s out fishing!” Mr. Trump declared, according to an attendee.
7
Once again Trump is backpedaling from a failure, claiming some partial victory. Once again his far right enthusiasts support him, but in diminishing numbers. Once again the far right "media" thinks they can overcome fact and reality by designing convenient lies.
What's different now is that some of the establishment GOP are bailing, not wanting to look that stupid as they're thinking about the next election. They're not yet bailing to the extent of calling out the Pres, but at least some are saying they don't agree with this or many other policies. Maybe once the Pres has dropped a few more approval points, they'll actually have the guts to say he's wrong. Maybe...
Or maybe it will take a blue tsunami in 2020 to convince them?
8
As an egomaniac all Trump cares about is his own happiness.
If this deal makes him unhappy, it’s a deal that makes me happy.
I’ll be more happy when he’s in an orange jumpsuit and bald as Michael Milken.
6
Morals Matter, But Trump has none.
4
Do you feel the air going out of the 239-lb, carrot-topped balloon? I do. How sweet it is.
13
Wow! It sounds like a whiny old brat Donald who can not get his coveted toy from Mama Pelosi.
3
If Trump is not happy he will go to the people and make it an issue even if he signs now to avert a shut down. Never thought I would say this but Trump has been the only adult in the room so far with regard to to the security on the Southern border. There is no justification that the president of the USA cannot get a miniscule 0.03% slice of 5.700, million from the 4000,000, 000 million national budget to keep America safe from drug and human traffickers or in simple English do his job as he and his advisors see fit.
There are many budgetary items that can do with massive cuts. Foreign aid to corrupt regimes or regimes that harbor terrorists or antagonize America, would be the first place to cut drastically. Another revenue source would be a gas tax that could cut carbon monoxide emissions. Tax on the thriving marijuana business. Bring home US troops safely back from foolish and costly overseas wars.
1
@Girish Kotwal
How about using that money to improve infrastructure, or perhaps to help lower the cost of healthcare? You know, useful stuff that might actually help the people of this country.
10
@EFM Yes how about using the 4000,000,000 millions for infrastructure and affordable government managed and run health care. I just drove over third world roads on the most scenic drive in Louisville, KY. Infrastructure in NY is going full swing. Go check out the La Guadia Airport expansion and renovation not too far from Brookyln. It looks like a multibillion dollar project. Go check out the budget carefully and you will find 100 billion dollars thrown at useless projects that will not secure the Southern border. Okay they got one El Chapo who was found guilty of all charges how many more are killing people in Mexico and the US and how many tons of drugs are entering the US via the Southern border? Securing the border will just ensure that all those welcome in the USA come through the multiple legal entry points. If everything was working in accordance with the US laws enforced optimally how do you explain the 30 million undocumented in the US? We are a country of immigrants and will continue to allow legal entry. Whats the point of electing congresspersons and lawmakers who keep making laws that cannot be enforced?
1
I thought Mexico was going to fund the wall?
15
To sign or not to sign, that is the question.*
*I must consult with Ann, Sean, and Rush first.
This is what his ”60% Executive Tme” is devoted to...that and tweeting.
10
trumpskie must first check in with his handlers i.e. mann coulter, hannity, putin...etc. The real tragedy in all of this is, there are people who really believe the vanity wall will solve the problem -
11
Dear New York Times,
We, the People could care less about how Donald “feels” ! Please refrain from giving this narcissist such ridiculous headlines!
Good news, folks, majority of Americans are UNITED! Sixty seven percent would like to see Donald impeached!
Tick...tock....Donald....tick ....tock!
13
Where is Mexico supposed to get that money!
What an utter joke we have for a "president." That money could have been used to fix roads and bridges, instead it goes to a stupid and useless wall!
Let's see those tax returns. Lock him up.
10
Dear Republicans in Congress -- Your boy in the White House is doing lasting damage to the country, and you know it. Do your jobs. Pass decent, bipartisan legislation, send it over, override Trump's vetos if needed.
. . . oops! I forgot about Mitch McConnell.
8
Dear Mr President, I think it would have been a good idea to "study" the bipartisan deal before saying you are unhappy with it. I also think that you should have checked quotes from you and your party before passing judgement on congresswoman Ibrahim. She directed her ire towards AIPAC not the Jews of Israel but the lobbyists currying favor with congressmen and senators. You and your ilk directed your venom on Soros implying that he a Jew was buying votes. Please do us all a favor and retire before you cause even more damage to the United States of America.
5
To our empty-suit, so-called "president": This is what happens when you lie your way into a job that you are hopelessly unqualified for. In the private sector, "You're fired" would be the first thing a corporation would say/do (How ironic), but regrettably, removing you from office won't be that easy. Enjoy the bitterness of losing......after all of this "winning", you had it coming.
5
He just wants everyone's attention on him that's all. Typical malignant narcissist
3
Is this the first concrete sign that the majority of Republicans gave up Mr. Trump as a one-term president? And, on the Democratic side, they are already thinking that the 2020 race will be just among themselves.
6
Why does the media hype every one of Trump's swoons? That's exactly what he wants because it gives him the attention that he craves and serves no other purpose than his (and Fox News) to keep his stupid wall in the forefront of the news.
Let Congress pass the bill and either he signs it or he doesn't. Simple. And then let the chips fall where they may. ALL of us Americans can decide.
Don't let every day become a Trump rally for his base.
21
@Dennis
Media gave him the same advantage during the campaign which he could have lost if he hadn't been allowed all the oxygen in the room. Makes the media as clueless as the Pres. re when to publicize and what.
4
So the president is unsure whether to veto or not.
I guess Rush and Anne have been too busy to tell him what to do next.
14
Trump won’t commit to signing the bill until he hears what Fox News has to say about it.
12
Of course he hasn't made up his mind yet. He's waiting for Fox and Friends and Anne Coulter to tell him what to do.
10
So let me get this straight.
The Dems have a deal with the Republicans "in principle."
But Trump has no principles.
So ....
15
Trump has “principles”....nope!
'In principle' is the same as 'letter of intent' or 'memorandum of understanding.'
Isn't it absolutely preposterous that we, as American citizens, have constantly to play a guessing game at what trump might "mean" by his nonsense? Are we numb to how outrageous that is? Do we now think that this is normal for a president of this country?
11
And it doesn’t really matter what he means because he could have Coulter change his mind anyway.
4
It does not make sense to build a wall that can be blown up or destroyed. There are many other border security options that brings more benefit and protection for people in America. Building a wall, that is not made out of titanium, makes no sense because is it vulnerable to destruction. Lastly, do not shut down government AGAIN because of lack of funding for a wall. Over 800,000 federal workers may miss their pay. Imagine if you were a citizen of America and a federal worker (Republican or a Democrat) would you agree with this decision of the president? MOST LIKELY NOT!!
5
None of the rest of us are happy either, Don.
10
@Jeff M
Hilarious !
The founding principle of the USA is actually not about making Trump happy. He had no business seeking the presidency, given that he has no qualification or relevant experience. So if he is unhappy with the job, he should quit. Things will only get worse for him, and the country is tired of his whining.
22
Trump should definitely shutdown the government so we can see who has the control of this government. Not Trump but the Air Traffic Controllers.
7
@JEH
Perfect
4
Just for a summary.
Sean:
“I’m going to tell this tonight and we will get back into this tomorrow,” he said. “Any Republican that supports this garbage compromise, you will have to explain. Look at this crowd. Look at the country. Look at CBS News, even they say 72 percent of the American people want the heroin to stop, the cartels to stop, the gang members to stop, and those that wish us ill.”
Ann:
"Trump talks a good game on the border wall but it's increasingly clear he's afraid to fight for it," Coulter tweeted to her 2.13 million followers. "Call this his 'Yellow New Deal.'"
Rush:
Should he shut it down again? Should he hang in there, hang tough, and shut it down again, or should he take the 55 miles? Take the $1.375 billion and then maybe, depending on how things go, declare an emergency. Let it wind its way through the courts. Continue to demonstrate the commitment to get this done while demonstrating the Democrat Party — which was perfectly fine, by the way, when $1.8 billion in cash landed on the tarmac in Tehran....
Ain't compromise and negotiation fun? Trump was better off three months ago.
4
Nobody cares if the 45th President is unhappy. Get to grips with the challenges of immigration. and stop the noise. Countries that don't embrace sane immigration are about to be extinct. Europe, Japan, South Korea, China anyone?
8
This is a bipartisan deal forged by highly experienced members of Congress. That means that both sides have had to compromise. That is the real "Art of the Deal" where common ground is reached by our elected representatives. The objective is to work for all the people and not just to make Donald Trump "happy." It's the will of the people; the working of the democratic process where the majority rules; it's a civics lesson in good governance that Donald Trump should respect. To make sure, let's hope it passes both House and Senate with a veto-proof majority. It's how we #MakeDemocracyWorkAgain.
14
He'll sign it and declare victory. He'll lie and claim all kinds of outrageous and untrue things. His base will cheer because he stood up to Speaker Pelosi and got his wall fully funded and built even though he didn't. We get a funded government and no shutdown. Win-win.
3
Actually, he could, and should veto it, so the American public can see if those Republicans in the Senate, could finally get an ounce of backbone, and character, and override it, and we could have a whole new day in Congress, for the next two years, going forward, and leave DT entirely out of the equation, of governing, just let Congress, however difficult it may be, grind out legislation, etc. even though there are some huge gulfs, and differences, between the Democrats, and the Republicans in Congress.
14
This will doubtless come as a shock to Trump, but it is NOT the job of Congress to craft legislation that makes Trump "happy". But then, he has no idea what Congress' job - or his own - actually is, so this isn't surprising from a narcissist.
36
I am sure Trump will come to a decision on the Border agreement as soon as he checks with his handlers Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter and Sean Hannity
17
Trump will likely either make believe the wall is being built or declare an emergency. Especially if Fox News turns on him.
It would be nice if a bipartisan agreement could be followed through, but Trump always wants some grandstanding.
I hope that wall will not become the only issue Tump has to bolster his base. It will get quite boring, not to mention a waste of the time that we are paying for. If you had a builder that never got past the front door, but kept wanting his pay, you would be incensed. There are plenty of real issues that need attention.
4
Whilst congress writes the bills, the POTUS is more than capable of leaning on his own party or leveraging his popularity in states & districts held by the other party in order to have a bigger say in what’s in the bill. He has little control over McConnell & McCarthy, he fails to put pressure on red state democrats Manchin, Sinema, Tester, & Doug Jones. Trump fancies himself as a Tywin Lannister type figure – a dominant leader who pressures hesitant people into doing what he wants. But he is weak & utterly incapable in influencing any bill that hits the senate floor. He said so himself, he isn’t thrilled about the bill, but McConnell will send it to his desk anyway. What kind of POTUS would allow his own parties senate majority leader to send him a bill he isn’t happy with? The answer - a weak POTUS.
1
Trump is still trying to find a way to get his way. His mysterious, "I'll add some to it" comment makes no sense at all. And, he never said HOW he was going to "add" to it. The guy is clueless.
10
WHY are we concerned with Trump's emotions? When has the Press ever focused on this?
12
Maybe Trump should just resign and retreat to one of his properties. We would all be better off.
15
Here we go again. If there's not shutdown Friday, the I'll believe there will be no shutdown Friday. Not before.
8
In the past there’s been raucous, hair afire hysteria over our President’s rush to act. Now which do we want? Rushing or deliberating? Can’t have it both ways.
@JBC
Any other president would have been keeping himself informed of the details while the negotiations were in progress so that he would already know whether the outcome was acceptable or not.
2
@Barry Short
How absurd to think he wasn’t informed. Perhaps bolstering your opinions with less biased press - or seeing his comments in complete context (why should our President have hoped for an honest outcome?) - might leave you less cynical.
Problem is that Mitch McConnell is OK with the deal. And he controls the GOP vote in the Senate.
Go ahead, Little Donnie, listen to Coulter and Hannity. Dump on McConnell and veto the deal. Do I hear "impeachment"?
7
So the art of the deal is do it my way or no deal?
Master negotiator?
How did he get here?
7
How? His Dad, the Russians bailed him out. He's a failure.
4
Either way Trump got what he wanted, being the center of attention
8
It is highly disappointing that Congress caved in to please an un happy narcisist President whose primary demand is to give in to their demands whether needed or not. it is never about protecting this country from immigrants whom he claims are rapist and murderers while ignoring the many mass murders committed by Americans who should have not allowed to be carrying a gun in the first place.
9
What a coincidence.
We are NOT happy with him.
13
Trump is not happy unless we are all unhappy!
7
Not sure if Trump will veto or not? Maybe we should ask Anne Coulter or Sean Hannity?
5
Mr President! this is humiliating!! this is not just a defeat, it is an insult!! Veto it at once!!! and declare a "National Emergency"!!!
Do it for you! and for your family!! if you lose this one! the next thing is going to be your taxes, the Mueller investigation and almost surely many many years of jail time for you and a some of your family members! Mr President, veto this!! and try to save yourself. If fact while you are on this, why don't you talk to Presidente Maduro, maybe between the both of you can find a place to hide in the Russian Riviera ...
3
Whether or not we have a shutdown will depend on what Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter, and the rest of his Fox friends tell him to do.
8
The Prez is taking some time to huddle with Limbaugh and Ann Coulter to decide what his opinion on the deal will be
4
Trump study? I don't think I'm alone in being fed up with our government's functions being switched off because of the emotional tantrums of the orange psychopath. Senator McConnell, if he refuses to sign this time, tell your troops to override his veto. Then the rest of us will get on with our lives and get some sleep at night.
6
I don’t recall Sean Hannity getting a single vote in the last election. Who cares what that blowhard thinks?
13
This child never understands...does he.
This is a democracy.
His words..” we’re building the wall in the face of tremendous obstruction etc. etc.”.
Yes sir, the majority dont want or agree with the wall. A big majority.
And “ we the people “ at least 66% don’t agree about how you spend “OUR- the people’s money”!
You of course don’t work for the “ we the people “, do you. You only work for you, and only you. Don’t even believe in democracy do you.
How bout you move to Russia or China and help your friendly Autocrats?
PLEASE.......& leave America to be run by someone else , some who understands our Constitutional & Bill of Rights, & Congress.
7
Democrats should loudly tout that this bill, being presented to the Art of the Deal President, contains less border funding than the deal he turned down in December. Hannity has already brandished it a garbage deal.
4
I would recommend that Trump reject that horrible deal, request for border wall $5.7 billion and deal has $1.4 billion and declare a National Emergency because the government will be partially shut down and 800,0000 people will have their pay deferred until the Congress can come up with a reasonable deal for the President to sign. That is a National Emergency. The tragedy is that the amount of money involved is relatively peanuts compared to our total budget and the law punishes the Federal workers because the politicians can't come up with a reasonable compromise. When this started the President requested $5.7 billion to place a wall where the experts said it s needed to stop illegal immigration and the Democrats offered nothing. A normal compromise would be to split the difference. That would mean Trump should be authorized $2.9 billion which is half the difference if there was truly a compromise. While in National emergency mode for the shutdown I would use funds from other areas to pay for the full wall request. If a judge tries to stop Trump I would advise him to ignore the judge. Enough is enough.
24
@NYChap Trump might as well burn the Constitution while he’s at it. Let nothing obstruct The Wall that Mexico Is Paying For, comrades!!!
110
I'll bite: What "experts"?
Appeal to authority fails. Again.
61
@John California The Constitution says not to pay Federal Employees if the politicians can't agree on a budget?
19
Honestly, Congress needs to get over trying to please Trump. It should be clear to everyone in Congress right now ( it's obvious to everyone else) that Trump doesn't know how to govern and what he says cannot be trusted. So, Congress should do its job, pass legislation, and if necessary override vetoes. It would be nice if at least one branch of government was functioning.
454
And they should turn off Trump’s TV and radio before Coulter and Limbaugh can work their magic on him again.
28
@VM - one branch of government functioning? I believe that would be the Supreme Court, when they're in session.
4
@VM
Judging only from results, the mentally intact thinker would have to admit that Pres. Trump is the best man we've had in that office for a generation.
The workers who had been told, ''Those jobs aren't coming back,'' inferred the rest of Mr. Obama's line as, ''as long as Democrats hold the White House.''
So hundreds of thousands of Obama voters turned to Trump, either for answers or in a dread of Hillary gauging every federal policy decision for its bribe-receipts potential.
This is the way the government is supposed to work. Legislators get together and in a bipartisan way work out a compromise. It is not perfect. Nothing is.
But it was never Trump's place to make demands. He was out of his Constitutional lane since Congress has the power of the purse (Art. 1, Sects. 8 and 9): "No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law".
Trump's trade wars usurped the powers of Congress. Trump doesn't seem to understand the Constitution and the limits on his power.
Trump keeps broadly hinting at an emergency order. Again he's weaving in and out of the separate Constitutional lanes that define American government. Paranoia about brown people is not an emergency, e.g., El Paso in fact has one of the lowest crime rates in the country.
Trump's focus group results are trickling in. Coulter has claimed this bipartisan process has produced the "Yellow New Deal".
Sen. Isakson and a bipartisan group of senators on Jan. 30th proposed a biannual budget process as a reform. That would be much better than the Russian roulette of shut down or no shut down.
110
@SMB --"Trump doesn't seem to understand the Constitution and the limits on his power."
I think he understands well enough... but he definitely doesn't want to obey the Constitution and stay within his limits, and his Constitutionally designated role. Trump may be the biggest threat to our democracy, well, ever. He will lie about what he is up to right up until he precipitates a Constitutional crisis that will demand a strong response, or end our liberty. I'm deeply fearful that, when this Trumpian push comes, the Republicans in Congress will fall like toy soldiers instead of responding like patriots, putting country ahead of party and politics. When Watergate happened, Congressional Republicans ultimately recognized that the country came first. We haven't seen any recognition of that in the actions of the last Congress, which performed brilliantly as a doormat and rubber stamp for Trump's excesses. What will they do when he declares a "state of Emergency" and suspends elections, or imprisons his political opposition, or members of the press?
10
@Jim Brokaw My fear also. Just read Churchill's "The Gathering Storm," which underscores the failure of Europe and the US to acknowledge and act on Germany's re-armament. They stood by and watched while Hitler prepared Germany, psychologically and militarily, to attack. Now we have anti-democracy forces in Europe and the U.S. moving against democracies and we stand by watching. Trump feels he can get by with anything (he's said as much) and he certainly will attempt a military coup at some point (the state of emergency is a precursor). Still we do nothing. I don't get it. Do we really not recognize what donald trump is ? Like Germany re-arming, it's no secret - it's denial.
3
@Sook Thanks for that post. People are being beat up (verbally) for expressing that. During the primary idiocy for the GOP, I reread the history about Hitler. I've seen the results on relatives who died in concentration camps and a few who survived with the #s branded on them. I also reread the history about Lindbergh starting his America First party here in support of Hitler.
Decades ago, I saw us turning into a 3rd world country. We're getting there. I just had no idea I'd really see it in full force at the end of my lifetime.
2
In the good ole days of communication folks used to deride leaders who used unrelated action to "send a message" with "if you want to send a message, use Western Union"
Well, Democrats via shutdown and now this deal sent a message where they stand in border security - basically, open borders.
I think most have gotten this message - and as a Republican - I urge POTUS to move on.
There are still many battles down the road - and the last thing he needs is to poison the well of Republican Caucus over a veto override.
As his son in law put it best "let's quit doing things for the sake of doing them."
As it is - he can claim a victory that this deal does not include any other hot button immigration issues such as DACA.
It's time to move on - and change the subject.
8
@Neil Trump will not let us change the subject. Democrats are not for "open borders'; that is another pile of mud Trump keeps throwing at Democrats. Trump can not claim "victory" since there is less wall money now than there was in December. Trump is not potus; he is a weak; pathetic con man who is in way over his head. Ray Sipe
60
Daca is hot button? The President said he was for solving that problem. Or do mean it would get Fox hot?
16
@Neil Right, because no-wall must mean "open borders." Good thinking.
30
One sure thing: The date of the shutdown is this Friday, the 15th. Trump will not 'decide' until late on the 14th. Perhaps he'll 'consult' with the republican party, Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter, Jared, Bolton, KellyAnne, etc. Maybe not. The important thing is that he will have all the media attention.
Real problems, of which we have many, will not be discussed.
He'll shuck and jive and scream that he can build a wall 'anyway'. He'll threaten, calling it a national emergency, and like all things he touches, cheapen the concept of an 'emergency'. But the baby in chief will have all the attention, at least for a few days.
Most important: Trump will avoid any discussion of the multiple investigations which bear down on him slowly, continually, growing as they approach. One more week of delusion, maybe another few. Enjoy it Donnie.
3
Why doesn't Trump just lie and say it's a great deal; he got everything he wants. Most of his supporters don't read the real news, and if they do, Trump can just call it fake news.
7
I am so happy he is not happy. He lost again!!! My goodness....so much for the greatest dealmaker in history.
3
A two-thirds majority in each house of Congress would make America happy, though. So, who cares about Trump?
1
For Trump, this is going to be a backdown and not a shutdown. With flight attendants union threatening to strike if the government is shut down, he'll sign it. He got his behind whipped on the last shutdown.
2
Would it be too much to ask for Congress to approve funding to build a 300-foot-tall wall around the White House, replace the helicopter landing pad with a 40-foot thick concrete-and -ebar foundation, and put DJTee and El Chapo in that compound together? They could each be issued a rubber digging spoon and a two-foot-tall ladder. Think of it as a sort of endless Frost-Nixon interview. Unless it ends real fast.
6
The only way I can see out is the end of Fox News, Hannity, Limbaugh, The Drudge Report, Alex Jones, et al. As long as there are “alternative facts” we will remain polarized and divided as a nation. Of course, 30 years of underfunding education and the rise of homeschooling hasn’t helped, either.
We’re already seeing the return of measles due to extremist misinformation spread via Google and Facebook. What’s next, the return of smallpox and polio?
7
The president has left a trail of his wants (must have's or else would be a better description) during his term in office to date.
His negotiating style mirrors "a used car sales person on commission".
Once a transaction has been wrung out, each party hopes to never experience another similar encounter.
At the level he currently occupies, skilful diplomacy and regard for both points of view and a future together one way or the other are some of the variables to be taken into account.
The impact of his 2 years is writ large with other experienced leaders who recognise the shortcomings of what he hopes to achieve "his way".
Rather than pursuing what makes sense as part of the mutual long term, he has continued to lie and obfuscate where achievements are compromised and trust is scarce as he broadcasts his views where often he has no experience.
Leadership is appallingly lacking as litters of solid experienced people he chose for his "team" are dispensed with without a single second thought.
Finally, using the government staff who keep the country running have been used as pawns.
What will be left when he leaves office, sooner or later?
3
Trump should veto the compromise solution for no other reason than to test the resolve of Republicans. We'll then see if they'll pass the resolution with a 66 2/3 veto proof supermajority or knuckle under.
Does it matter? This president enjoys planning and then attending rallies featuring such die-hard fans who believe and cheer lustily about anything he tells them. Lie after lie after lie, his fan base will bellow predictably ("Lock her up" and "Mexico!" are two of their favorite responses) and the president responds like a delighted toddler. He has their attention, their doting approval, and lot of noise. What more can a president wish for? Sadly, there is so much at stake ... but this president is delighted with his screaming, adoring fans. No truth is necessary. No actual policy or plans are required.
7
I think he's not happy because he'll have to act like a Washington politician and accept the low bid, then set back and wait for the cost overrides to roll in.
Of course he's not going to say it he'll veto or not because that's another episode of Trump's Reality Presidency.
The Veto! Part I, Season 3. Enjoy.
5
next episode: OVERRIDE
....or SEASON CANCELLED ... both good
3
When Trump speaks at partisan political rallies where only selected supporters are invited in, does he personally pay for the use of Airforce One?
7
Trump may not be an expert in the "Art of the Deal," but he is one in the "Art of the Steal."
Let's see, I'll let Congressional Republicans negotiate a compromise that I'll sign, but then breach its spirit by declaring a national emergency and try to grab the difference between the settlement terms and my $5.7 billion.
When I inevitably lose a legal battle over my unconstitutional action, I'll then blame socialists in the Democratic Party who are in favor of open borders and crime, and any Congressional Republican for whom condemnation serves my purposes.
The man owes no allegiance to anyone or anything other than himself and his selfish interests.
7
So, he went through the shut down, got his plate handed to him by Ms Pelosi and got even less than if he would have taken the first deal. So much for his talk radio support. They cost him several billion in wall funding.
10
His happiness is irrelevant - this is not one man rule, it is a Democracy and he is not a monarch.
10
Really who cares that trump's not happy about anything. We need to stop entertaining intellectual curiosity items about this guy and hold him to account for doing everything from obstructing investigations to enriching himself by refusing to divest interests. His henchmen keep trying to normalize the abnormality of his behavior. Nothing about his time in office has been normal and nothing about him has changed. He is grossly incompetent and proves it daily. He is using the office to enrich himself and his spawn, and proves it daily.
9
Well..be thankful if it comes to compromise.
1
Trump’s not happy.
Take away his paid housing, food, transportation, kid’s tuition, vacations, clothing allowance, phone - that we pay for. Keep him going in limbo for 35 days and see what he has to say about happiness.
This is insanity to even consider a government shutdown.
8
Donald Trump is incapable of making a decision that might be criticized by his base. He needs someone to blame in case things go bad. In this case it will be Congressional Republicans who will have to override his veto to avoid another disastrous shut down.
7
Is he going to announce his decision in a special episode of the Apprentice "Precident-ial" Edition as the clock winds down to the shutdown on Friday?
2
Can't help but think that Fox News blowhard Sean Hannity, and his right-wing colleagues, should stop running their mouths and run for office, if they're so anxious to influence government policy. It's real easy to lead from the cheap seats.
7
i have been saying...house and senate need to put this president in his place..not a dictator..pass a bill that will get enuf votes to override the spoiled brat's veto...that is why he won't say if he will sign it..he wants to see if he will get "overruled" or not...and also wants to see how badly hannity's scathing remarks will sting.
5
Nixon's Approval Rating was 24% in August, 1974, which was his base. (He resigned on August 9.)
Trump's approval rating averages in the mid 30s, this is his base. If he continues to listen to Coulter, Limbaugh, Hannity and others, he'll be appealing to just one-third of the voters.
I say, keep focusing on your base, Mr. President!
9
@Flic B Trump doesn't care about the voters, just his base.
@Barry Short
I believe I said that.
Perhaps this experience will convince Mr. Trump to go back to his default immigration policy, building fairways and sand traps. Nothing keeps those pesky immigrants out better than club fees. And, they work for cheap!
Unlike running a national government, golf is something he's spent time studying, and managing golf courses is apparently something within his current skill set.
2
I hope he vetos it. I want the Republicans pushed up against a "wall" and forced to override his veto, or stand there naked and have to explain why they didn't.
6
In other words, he's cornered and he knows it. If he signs it, he loses his base. If he doesn't sign it and there's another shutdown, he loses his base. If he signs it and tries to call a national emergency, or do it privately, he'll be stopped. He also knows about all those private landowners who will keep him in court for years if he tries to grab their land citing eminent domain.
Sweet.
5
How sad! The dictator wannabe is unhappy!
Maybe the Congress is getting back to doing its job!
7
In some ways, our country has made a lot of progress this century. When the Bush Administration lied to us, we went to war in Iraq and hundreds of thousands of people died and trillions of dollars were wasted. Trump is only lying to us about a wall and the worst case scenario is we lose a few billion dollars and look dumb.
2
you're forgetting the trillions of dollars in redistribution up to the very rich in the form of tax cuts and other policies that he has passed it's a whole lot more than 10 billion
4
He won’t veto it, he’s a coward by nature and will back down against “ the big guys”.
3
If Trump isn't "happy" then he's free to go live somewhere among friends, such as Moscow.
9
Trump and his cronies have slashed the US Department of State, increased the budget of Department of War, he feels better when he would have all of us living in encampments surrounded by walls. Wall on the southern border is just the beginning, pretty soon our tax dollars would be used to pay for walls around every billionaire in our country.
Not very long ago another Republican President told us the rationale of why we are fighting wars all over the world and that was so that we do not have to fight it in NYC, Chicago and LA. Why is it that they are not using the same logic to ensure that these migrants do not have to leave their country for our shores?
It would require us to ensure that their wealth is not taken from them and they are allowed to live in peace in their own country.
I guess it is called globalization and capitalism; but we do not believe in globalization of people. We will take the money and resources but we do not want the people.
2
trump will not veto it be sure of that.
Why ?
His puppet master Mitch McConnell said the deal is just fine.
2
There's a lot to take away from this; but, I have to admit, I don't think Paul Ryan is the fishin' type...
1
Thus spoke the 'great negotiator.' Why are we not surprised?
This is not news, folks.
National Debt is now 22 trillion.....more than 1 trillion added since the wondrous tax cuts just a year ago.
Why isn't this front page news in the NY Times and others while Trump is looking for MORE of our tax dollars to waste?!?!??!
When Obama was in office, the GOP lost thier minds over the deficit. Especially Paul Ryan.
Let's hear Kudlow come out and give us some more Mystery Math* about the deficit from the "fiscally responsible" GOP.
* Mystery Math: "Mexico will pay for the wall"....or "Free college for everyone"...or "Medicare for everyone"....or "FREE income for those who don't want to work".
SHeeesh. Don't they teach MATH is school any longer?
3
"Notably, he (McConnell) did not rule out overriding a veto if Mr. Trump turned against the compromise."
I wonder if Donald and Mitch haven't already worked something out. Donald refuses to sign so he can continue to play the tough guy, and Mitch allows the override. I think Mitch is more afraid of Republicans taking the blame for another shutdown than he is criticism from Hannity and his cohorts.
3
When are journalist going to learn to take whatever this Buffoon says about anything with a grain of salt, because he is clueless and is the perfect depiction of the Emperor with No Clothes, he's real Blowhard and does nothing but pontificate nonsense, and he has this Court of Jesters that sit behind and around him like decorations.
Just like that group of Sheriffs or whatever standing around him yesterday when he was talking about his stupid wall.
Trump is probably waiting for instructions from his Fox News handlers.
2
Mexico will pay. Trump promised
5
Lets all send the man a Lego so he can play at building walls in the Oval Office to his heart's content.
3
I second a comment that trump is waiting for faux news to tell the president?? what to do. Hannity and his fellow travelers are de facto cabinet members. Hannity is the minister of propaganda and public enlightenment much as Joseph Goebbels in Nazi Germany served in that position. Fascism is what we have here.
19
@Jordan Davies And what are Rachel Maddow, Chris Hayes, Chris Mathews and Lawrence O'Donnell except left wing media swayers for the Democrats?!!
2
MCH
The difference between them and Hannity and his ilk are they don’t dictate policy. Democrats don’t listen to op-Ed opinion to make policy.
5
Great recognition & naming this insanity by Hannity
2
President Tantrum is playing checkers, poorly. Pelosi, Schumer, McConnell and our U.S. Congress (excluding Nunes, Meadows and their ilk, President Tantrum's gofers) are playing 3-dimensional chess.
2
President Tantrum didn't get his way. Pity.
17
Considering how weakened he has become from the last shutdown fiasco, as well as the consequent negative fallout for Republicans in general... I suspect this Trump individual actually has little say in the matter anymore, one way or another.
10
He's going to use other methods.... perhaps he's considering another Deutschebank loan.
But remember, Donald, they don't give you loans there unless someone offers a guaranty.
And Putin might be indisposed this time.
12
Other methods,,,Mexico perhaps?
I really wish that Pelosi and Schumer, as well as other democrats, would hold a news conference to remind Trump and the public that the democrats offred 25 billion last year for a wall in exchange for permanent DACA. They should remind him that in the televised meeting last year, Trump said he'd sign any deal and take the heat. Well, the Freedom Caucus and Stephen Millar were aghast, and Trump reneged. He melted under their heat.
28
@dba
And throw in the latest deficit figure too, and how much it has ballooned since these tax breaks for the rich.
2
"Not Happy". It irks me that Trump is treating these negotiations as if the test is whether the outcome is supposed to please him or, actually, Hanitty et al.. This is no way to govern. He must be pushed out in 2020. The system can only take so much from this distorted presidency.
23
He's not at all happy -well now I just can't feel sorry about that. We must be aware that his state of 'unhappiness' will cause him to react in his usual vindictiveness, his typical bully attitude when the game doesn't go his way. Which Cabinet member will take a fall for this? Not any one of them will be missed as they are now all his 'yes' men. Watch out - this will surely put him on the war path.
3
Next one out is Kirstjen Nielsen. She's there only because he thought it would improve his Nielsen ratings.
1
Very difficult with a person whose entire life is all about ME. There is no compromise, no exchanging of ideas, no open dialogue, just TWITTER and TRUMP. People wanted a change, ok, now you are mocked, insulted, from someone who is supposed to represent ALL Americans not just his base.
The political environment is worse now, based on half truths and statements that divide, no union just DONALD TRUMP.
Diversity in ALL aspects are guaranteed by the Constitution period, not by boys, who pretend to be men.
6
Sounds like the "Big Negotiator" doesn't understand how to compromise... No wonder Paul Ryan pushed the can down to road!
9
Oh dear. The Divinely Appointed Chief Potentate and Lord of All He Surveys is not happy. How on earth did we visit this horrible condition on such a magnificent leader, more intelligent than anyone else in the world, more courageous than anyone else in the world, more worthy and deserving than anyone else in the world? Woe is us. We need to repent. Someone, PLEASE, go to him and tell he how sorry we are that he is not happy.
6
He may be planning to declare emergency.
2
trump has never been happy. Malignant narcissists never are. They revel, however, in massive unhappiness, victimhood, a skewed sense of entitlement and vengeance. How can anyone have voted for this monstrous individual?!?!
20
I suspect that the narcissist Trump may have had some fleeting moments being "happy" while conducting his private dalliances with Ms. Daniels, Ms. McDoughal, and untold others. He probably misses those self-indulgent times of total unaccountability to anyone else greatly. Yes Gardengirl, if this amoral monster did not exist, he would have to be invented.
@Gardengirl Seeing other people "lose" is more satisfying to him than "winning." Any negotiation that satisfies the other side is unacceptable to him.
How long is this agreement good door?
"Am I blue? No. I'm orange. And I'm not happy. I can't say that I'm happy. But I can say that I'm glad my undocumented workers at Mara Lago know how to get out the orange stains off my pillowcases."
6
Whenever I hear of Hannity
I think of the word insanity
So seeking his advice
Means Trump will pay the price
For embracing Sean’s profanity
5
Tiny is not happy. So sad, too bad, who cares.
7
Whatever he decides, we can be sure the Prenemy of the United States will continue to foment discord amongst us.
10
He's not happy with the deal and not ready to sign it till he consults with Ann C. , Hannity and Laura I. The man has no back bone and is an inveterate liar! In El Paso yesterday he got his rabid base frothing at the mouth no longer by chants that "Mexico will pay for the wall" but by another sample of his dellusions: "finish the wall", when in fact anyone with a brain and an objective view knows that his wall has not even been started because Congress has not yet approved a penny for its erection.
Aside from his constant lies it's sad to see how he disrespects his most fervent cult followers, too stupid to see
how he insults their intelligence and gullibility day in and day out: "I love the uneducated", "I could shoot somebody on fifth avenue and nothing would happen to me" (paraphrased sentences) etc. When will they wake up and see how they have been had by the orange Don the Con? A deplorable situation indeed!
7
Why is the “h” in “he”, the pronoun for Trump, capitalized? It make him seem godly. It’s scary. The bold type and italics are enough for me. Just write, you know, like a normal sentence. I promise that I’ll get that it’s a sub-heading, or whatever you guys call it. All caps or sentence case from now on please.
Thanks a bunch.
2
The Democrats should never have gone off on this sidetrack of “detention beds”.
The dispute (and the government shutdown) was over Trump’s ridiculous wall, and that’s where the focus should have been kept. No fig leaf; no money for your wall. No “down payment”. I’m disgusted.
[Look, there’s not going to be any comprehensive addressing of the southern border as long as Trump is in office, as he has virtually no credibility.]
60
@srwdm Hey we need protection...come on down to border cities...Maybe we could borrow a few walls from the Elites who are against it...they cherish their protection.
2
@srwdm Number of beds equates to detaining more people means more Dictatorship. Trump must be fought every day on every issue. No surrender; no retreat. Keep attacking ourselves means 6 years of Trump. Ray Sipe
10
@srwdm Back in the day black people were put in jail for resisting Jim Crow. Were you also in favor of detention in that case?
3
For some reason or other, I'm great with this president's whining that he's unhappy.
8
Who cares if he is fn happy. He has negatively affected the national security, economy and world standing due to the trump shutdown. The man is a domestic terrorist in my opinion. Vote blue everyone in 2020.
14
The "POTUSA" is not happy, poor baby! Who is happy with the current Washington crowd from the White House on down?
The next time for change will be 2020, please register and vote.
Remember 18+ years old to vote
Help save our Republic!
10
King George III was not happy! Now Lord Trumple-Tweeter is not happy!
Oh, if only he could make his allies last forever, and ever and ever on an island far far away...
... with a wall built around it.
... and his loyal subjects - indentured servants all - with him to clean his pillows, sheets, tend the golf greens, and charge up the golf carts...
So much whining, I mean winning.
3
Gitmo would make a fabulous St. Helena: seaport, airstrip, plenty of room for a championship golf course.
Tiny will probably go to Florida this weekend to sulk and pout in his monstrosity of a residence that looks like an Eighteenth century bordello, and be waited on by illegal immigrant employees and hit golf balls that undoubtedly have Nancy Pelosi's picture on them.
Maybe he'll feel better knowing that he'll soon be seeing Little Rocket Man (they're in love) at the end of the month.
Oh the stress of being President.
13
@Doremus Jessup
the family originally made their money on a bordello in germany until they were thrown out of the country for running a bordello....not surprising he likes that style...
1
Trump's playing his reality TV cliff-hanger again. I think that he'll refuse to sign it and then declare a national emergency. He'll like that better because it's dramatic and it lets him tell his base that he's really fighting for the stupid wall.
11
Folded like a broken lawnchair. Good.
13
Give him his stupid wall in exchange for 20 years worth of his tax returns. Watch him veto that, too.
10
Here's your cookie Donnie
NO I want a bigger cookie!
Here take this and we'll try to get you a bigger cookie later.
I'm not Happy! I want my Big Cookie
OK. But for now take this cookie And maybe we can get Ice Cream later
No!! I want a Big Cookie NOW I might just hold my breath until I get it !
Look we can take the money we were going to give to the disaster victims and use it to buy you a cookie.
No No No Give me my Cookie Now I'm not Happy
Uncle Mitch always gives me what I want.
Well Aunt Nancy has had it with you kid --- So Hold your breath and see where it gets ya
18
Boo hoo. When is he EVER happy?
7
@DDRamone: Karen McDougal, Stormy Daniels, Natasha Stoynoff, Summer Zervos, Jessica Leeds, Marla Maples and all the other women with whom he either had affairs or groped can tell us what makes him happy.
2
Fox News told Tump not to be happy with the border deal......
so he's pouting out loud about whether he'll sign it, great negotiating strategy. Do some reading tonight Mr. Fake President.
5
Once again all eyes on the KING waiting for his decree. He sucks all the oxygen out of the room making everyone else look weak and trivial. The media gives him 24/7 coverage. You can't escape him.
This is no longer a democracy.
4
I'm not happy with it either. Shouldn't be giving him any money for any kind of a wall. Veto it trump, Then we can find out if the Republicans have enough guts to override your veto.
8
Trump is dangerous. While some good souls use language to learn from the past, plan for the future, share knowledge, imagine and create good, effectively guide behavior, and use words that help us thrive as communities, Trump uses language to lie, manipulate, deceive, spread libel, slander and ignorance, incites hatred, prejudice and violence, supporting industries of mass pollution, and criticizes and condemns others. Trump is not a leader...he is a divider, xenophobic, racist, a charlatan, unfit, incompetent, and...well, lastly, he is representative of the Republican Party. Good job ‘Merica.
7
Trump said "I am not happy".
Who do you want to be?
There are 6 others.
(Originally stated in British Parliament)
t
2
Hannity show does not air until 9pm so Trumpy will share his decision then
8
He has to check with Ann Coulter first.
8
He got so played.
7
Boo hoo. Trump's not "happy." Who cares? This is about our COUNTRY. He thinks it's about him.
6
I am so tired of this racist drama queen. Is it 2020 yet? Alternately, godspeed Mr. Mueller and company.
12
Looks like King Don is having his MAGnA Carta moment.
6
WHY Trump's wall won't help! Nancy Pelosi should quote this paragraph from today's New York Times website. The report on El Chapo Guzman being found guilty on ten counts includes this information as to how he snuggled drugs into the U.S. from Mexico:
"It (the indictment)...accused him of earning a jaw-dropping $14 billion during his career by smuggling up to 200 tons of drugs across the United States border in an array of yachts, speedboats, long-range fishing boats, airplanes, cargo trains, semi-submersible submarines, tractor-trailers filled with frozen meat and cans of jalapeños and yet another tunnel (hidden under a pool table in Agua Prieta, Mexico.)"
13
"Do you like my wall ?"
"I do not, I do not like your wall"
Sound familiar ?
4
Never underestimate a shameless, grotesque con man who loathes his own nation.
15
Happy? Dopey, Sleepy, or definitely Grumpy. Never Happy.
9
LOL! Donald will have to “study it”. Translation: Donald will starting calling his pals to ask their opinion and be glued to Fox News, awaiting their verdict.
Donald, trying to read the writing on the wall, in the most literal way.
4
Trump isn't happy?
I don't care.
I really don't care.
7
Nobody's ready to show this guy the door yet? Tsk.
5
Trump, on the losing end of the deal, is now on the phone to his friends:
"Those jerks. They're too dumb to know that all I wanted from the start was $1 billion. THat's right, $1 billion would have been fine. That was the whole plan from the start."
"First demand an amount I'd never get. Then, look angry and play stubborn. Follow it up by closing the government and, finally, pretend to "reluctantly" agree when I got just what I wanted."
"The result? I even squeezed an extra $.375 billion out of those suckers."
Shut down the government until we get the wall. This is a very lame offer from the open border Democrats.
2
@M Please shut it down; Trump's popularity dropped like stone last time. Stewardesses are already getting ready to shut the airports down; which was the tipping point last time. Ray Sipe
269 lbs at his last physical. Not many days left. He's just not happy about anything. Let's all cry.
8
@Karn Griffen
ROFL, though!
239, actually, but that's still right at the edge of obesity.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/11/health/gupta-president-trump-physical-2019/index.html
Sick of Trump's quest for attention... and sick of the media giving him it. Democrats really need to strategize on how they can bring attention to the "real" issues.
6
He’s going to cave on his wall distraction, he has no choice. Republicans won’t support him in another shutdown. Mexico won’t pay as he promised. He is losing every battle. Even Republican Reps from border districts don’t want a wall. Too bad Fox keeps Trump’s growing string of failures from his voters.
5
Happy? The only time he looks happy and comfortable is at his rallies full of 'pre selected' fans frantically waving the slick posters they are given and screaming on cue.
He smiles, he lies, he ad libs, he lies, he gestures, he lies, he smiles, he lies, they scream he lies, they scream, he lies ....
Most of the time when seen in any sort of public, unscripted moment he wears a weird locked jaw grimace which perhaps he thinks makes him look 'resolute' or 'commanding'?
With all the hacks in his cabinet perhaps he needs some 'feedback' on his 'look'. Call a modeling agency ...
3
@CD
Nope....scared to death they might see thru him and walk out.
Trump not happy to get get his way to completely pay for his sacred wall....so Boo-Hoo. What about not being happy about the rising debt crisis that is occurring on his watch. Oh .... he still has his real estate business that pays no taxes, so why worry and care?
He doesn't say if he'll veto it...because he hasn't yet heard what Sean Hannity and Ann Coulter think of the deal. He'll "decide" what he'll do after tonight's call with Sean and Ann. His presidency is a fraud just like every other enterprise he's involved in throughout his life.
2
Trump promised:
A healthcare plan that would cover everyone, cost less, and make everyone happy. Didn’t happen; not even close.
To “drain the swamp.” Numerous members of his cabinet and staff were forced to resign for flagrant corruption and ethical violations... if they hadn’t already pleaded guilty to one or more felonies.
The massive “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” would pay for itself and lower taxes on the middle class. The federal deficit is soaring, millions of taxpayers are discovering their expected IRS refunds flew the coop, and a handful of wealthy Americans are reaping the rewards.
To do away with NAFTA. He fiddled with it a bit, gave it a new name and declared a big win. Meanwhile American auto makers are planning plant shutdowns.
To “bring back coal” and “open new mines.” Hasn’t happened.
To win a beautiful trade war with China. American farmers are lining up to file bankruptcy papers; and American consumers are paying billions in new taxes called ‘tariffs.’
To “build a wall and make Mexico pay for it.” It won’t be built - thank heavens - but American taxpayers have already lost billions because Trump used a government shutdown as a publicity stunt. They will waste billions more for “steel slats” and “detention beds” to mollify Trump, Hannity, Coulter, et al. We won’t be safer or more secure. This year 35,000 Americans will still die from gunfire — and Trump will do nada.
What will it take before the Trump faithful say “basta” and “hasta la bye bye, Trump”?
3
My bet is it’s a done deal. Traffic signs went live this morning in Palm Beach announcing road closures this weekend! Prez is coming to town.
@M.F. 50/50. Trump has not heard from FOX/Hannity/Coulter yet. He will be real cranky if he has to cancel Golf. On the other hand; declaring a national emergency means he can declare victory; leave DC and let everybody else clean up the mess he creates. Ray Sipe
"... but does not think he will shut the government down".
There - fixed it for you.
Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, and Ann Coulter are not elected officials and don't speak for the American people. Why is Donald Trump listening to them? Then again, Putin has his ear too, so why am I even asking?
1
Of course Trump has to give it some thought before deciding. He has to wait until Coulter and Limbaugh weigh in.
2
Why is it that democrats want Mexican cartels to control the border? Every mile of the border without an effective barrier belongs to the cartels.
2
And just as an aside: Trump's comb-over in this video is getting worse! Sorry - I just had to write it - perhaps on such a miserable snowy day in NYC - some very needed comic relief!
4
We should not forget the FACT that Trump promised ad nauseam that he will get Mexico to pay for his wall. Now conveniently ignoring his promise to get Mexico to pay for his wall, Trump has tried for months to bully Congress to make U.S. taxpayers pay for his wall, which he personally took responsibility for the shutdown. Now that it appears that he will not get his way with Congress, Trump will now try to "gaslight" the American public by LYING that his wall is actually getting built...and that Mexico is "indirectly" paying for it.
Seriously, why do so many Trump supporters continue to believe all of Trump's blatant lies, corruption and deceit?
2
Trump can’t say if he’s ‘happy’ with the deal until Anne Coulter tells him if he’s happy.
Putin is not in charge of the “Wall”, Coulter is.
1
Interested if someone can find a single word in this article that couldnt have been predicted weeks ago.
Hopefully the authors wrote it last week and are enjoying a nice day off.
1
Anything that makes Trump unhappy makes me happy.
5
Of course Trump's waiting to express an opinion on the deal. He needs to wait for Co-President's Sean Hanity & Laura Ingraham to tel him what he thinks.
1
I hope the majority of Congress will realizes that they have leverage to create legislation and the power to silence trump by overriding any vetoes he may foolishly sign.
The best loser trump can do now is claim, as he did last night, that he intends to 'finish the wall' he has already begun. One picture will prove that it is not a 'big beautiful concrete wall' but a few extra rows of ugly barbed wire.
1
I find it deeply satisfying that this plan includes less money than he would have gotten had he not thrown his toys out of the crib in December.
2
He will *study it". That won't take long for him. Nor will it make any difference.
We can only hope he eats a good breakfast on the day he announces his decision. And a good lunch on the afternoon he changes his mind.
This is the Democratic Party's failure to do the right thing and it will show in the next 2 years just how inadequate they are at getting things done....they have become the party of obstruction and empty errands that accomplish nothing like these ridiculous investigations , but this sends a message to Mexico which is now Doing things to keep its citizens in there country with creating economic plans so they do not have to Break US law and be criminals coming into our country to get jobs that amount to tax evasion , and all the other free handouts the Democratic Party tries to give to BUY there Vote or with the children they try to have once there here, the People who pay Taxes can now very clearly see who is the Obstructionist Party and it all points to a Lame Duck Congress!
1
Trump cant count and the democrats neither,probably.
When you presume that 700.000 dreamers will make 1.5 million per person on average in their liftime, working in the US as addition to the GDP and pay on average 0% taxes, they pay for that useless wall some 50 times. Throw away that money as a bait to catch a far bigger fish.
“Man’s highest joy is in victory: to conquer one’s enemies; to pursue them; to deprive them of their possessions; to make their beloved weep...”
-Genghis Khan
The only way that Trump can be happy is if he not only “wins,” but makes his opponents suffer, and he has accomplished neither with his latest “wall defeat.” No wonder he looks so miserable!
1
@Susan
Don the Con Trump, also known as Genghis Can't.
3
"Trump said he would have to study it more before deciding what to do." TRANSLATION- "I will have to wait until Fox News, Sean Hannity, and Ann Coulter tell me what to do."
2
The thought that the FOR PROFIT detention centers even exist makes me want to throw up! What a disgrace to us as a nation of immigrants! There is so much incentive for them to remain filled to the max! I’m very sad that we are so fueled by GREED.
3
I still can’t believe this guy is president.
5
Message to Donald Trump: "You can't always get what you want, no you can't always get what you want, but if you try sometime, you just might find, that you get what you need." (Rolling Stones)
2
Yeah... (at least 60%) Americans aren’t happy that Mexico isn’t paying for that vanity project.
But, it’s the entitled man-child whose tantrums deserve more attention....
1
Trump didn't get his full wall, Nancy and Schumer didn't get their "not one cent on a wall", it's a good bipartisan compromise that in reality makes sense. The far right will not like it, the far left will not like it, but it should have strong bi-partisan support in both chambers.
I expect Trump will gripe about it and sign it.
2
Trump should not be happy with this new agreement unless is willing to capitulate on his $5.7 billion demand.
If he refuses to sign the bill, the Congress will, by necessity, override his veto. Will they?
1
And still no one will touch the subject of employers being free to ignore the eVerify system. Nor can Congress address the plight of the Dreamers. Those two items need solved simultaneously and include proactive measures to assist these Central American governments in addressing the conditions causing their people to flee.
When we finally wake-up to the fact that we have to prevent the employers from hiring (by legislating criminal penalties), then we will be half-way to transforming this view of our country as an oasis for the taking. The Trump Administration has already been increasing the number of ADDITIONAL temporary foreign work visas each year. So if employers do have that option for jobs that can't be filled by Americans, then legislate the criminal penalties for hiring illegals.
That's how the flow will be controlled everywhere. A bulletproof database (better than eVerify) and employers going to jail / heavily fined is what constitutes the beginning of an actual transformation.
Democrat and Republican leaders are both failing to deliver an actual transformation. To have Order, you need the Law that matters - the one for Employers.
1
What will ultimately determine whether or not Trump vetoes the bill is what Hannity, Dobbs, Coutler and Limbaugh have to say about it. Those are the people he answers to.
2
@Vin
Speaking of "disgraceful" as Trump so often does,
none of those Fox Folk have security clearance, were appointed to the Cabinet, had to be vetted by Congress or ran for office and nobody voted for any of them.
1
Unconscionable that the country, and most especially the government workers, were put through this "sturm und drang" to essentially end up back where we started in December.
Mr. Trump isn't happy? Well - Boo Hoo! Most likely he will be directed by TV personalities to build his beautiful wall to impress his base by executive order. I only pray he does not shut the government down again.
Meanwhile, many government posts remain unfilled, other business is not getting done, and Trump is out campaigning.
Thank you Nancy Pelosi for your leadership. This isn't about winning or losing this is about spending money appropriately according to need. This is also about standing up to a bully who held government workers and the entire country hostage to shore up his shrinking base. It was never about border security.
2
I don’t think there are too many who really care about Trump’s happiness. In fact, when he’s celebrating it’s more than likely bad news for most Americans ... if not for those of the world beyond, with notable exceptions such as the Kremlin crowd. Trump’s not going to cause of the government to shutdown again for the sake of his own political skin ... a bullying bluff going nowhere.
Hmm.... $1.375billion, $5.7billion was the original ask.
I think Trump should approve it, along with opening the government, but only for 24% of the time. Since $1.375b out of $5.7b is 24%.
1
@Rick
... except he's a 100% fraud and should be removed from office, fully
4
The Congress should stop playing games with the budget and the President. They work for their constituents, not him. They need to own their power, draft and vote and pass the final bill to fund the entire government including the new agreement. The President can sign it or own the shutdown that follows. If McConnell obstructs the Senate vote then he also owns the shutdown. And the NYTimes should stop referring to "conservatives" reactions when they really mean Sean Hannity and his pals. They're not conservatives and their opinions are irrelevant to passing a budget. The government works for us, not them.
It may be a bitter pill to swallow,Mr.President trump, but accept the the recommendations of the congress and do not shutdown the government.The whole world is watching and and we cannot put the whole nation to embarrassment no matter whoever is wrong.Time will tell who is wrong and who was right.
1
If the wall is so important, why didn't the GOP house give it to him in his first two years? The emergency seems to come from the need to distract Democratic investigations.
3
Trump did not get all of his southern border barrier funding. Nancy Pelosi said she would not give Trump $1.00. They met in the middle. Its called working together. Next is unfair China Trade and infrastructure.
1
Trump will sign it and then declare an emergency to take additional funds, the latter because his base wants him to be a strong man ruling without congress.
1
For only 55 miles, it will cost $1.37 Billion? 1,000 miles was priced at $5.7 Billion. That’s a huge gap in cost per mile – can anyone tell me why it will cost so much for only 55 miles? At that rate, we might as well build all 1,000 miles (and this is coming from someone who is against the wall). But if we’re going to pay $1.37 Billion for only 55 miles, we might as well upgrade and pay the $5.7 for 1,000 miles.
(55 Miles at $1.37 Billion = $25 million per mile! 1,000 miles at $5.7 Billion = $5.7 million per mile)
Trump is the only person who needs to explain anything to Hannity. No one in the Senate cares what a TV entertainer thinks.
Trump's not happy - what a tough break. Whether or not he's happy has no effect on reality. You can't always get what you want. I wonder how long that will take to sink in.
1
If the president is not happy with the compromise and the Democrats are not happy with the compromise then it is by definition a good compromise.
Mr Trump needs to learn that in legislation you get some of what you want, not all. If he learns this lesson then he might... just might... make it through the end of his term.
Congress needs to come up with a veto-proof vote.
The fine print on the deal includes 55yds of fencing around Mar Lago so he can’t get out and continue to bother the American citizenry (at least 60% of us who are rational)
2
Presumably he has to get permission from Ann Coulter before he can commit himself. For a guy who is always calling other people "weak," he really lets that unelected woman boss him around.
1
I'm sorry, but tell me again why this dunderhead's constant stream of damnable lies is considered news? "Right now, we’re building a lot of wall," he says. And yet we know that is absolutely, demonstrably untrue. The only "building" that is going on is being done with money already appropriated under previous administrations to repair or reinforce barriers that have been breached, whether by the elements or people who have access to saws and sledgehammers.
The only people who still pay any heed to this serial fantasist are former KGB operatives, oligarchs who are getting rich off his corrupt policies, and Fox News lightweights.
2
Probably one of the very few times in his life when he hasn't gotten what he wanted through bullying and intimidation. Of course he's not happy.
Using trumps 0 tolerance rule requiring deportation of every undocumented alien our country would stop functioning due to labor shortages and the total cost.
A TRAC report is the best source of figures that I found. It breaks down the reason people were in ICE facilities into 4 groups and lists the amount of time they resided in the US. The link is: https://trac.syr.edu/immigration/reports/530/
Maybe I could not find it…I would like to see a breakdown of the offenses for those living here 5 to 10 plus years. It might have been the basis for Democratic argument for limiting ICE beds by forcing them to stop going after low lying fruit. Business owners and other professionals have been victimized by this practice.
https://trac.syr.edu/immigration/reports/530/
So it seems that the deal is to spend $25 million per one mile of wall. Is that accurate? That is absolutely insane.
Not happy is the least of my feelings. Disgusted. Terrified. Would be more like it.
2
Someone should pipe the Rolling Stones' song "You Can't Always Get What You Want" into the Oval Office to remind Trump of his campaigning days when he used the same song. Right back at ya, Mr. Trump.
2
if Trump trued to veto the agreement, or declare a national emergency to get $5.7 billion, he does so at his own peril. If the GOP dominated Senate doe snot override the veto, if it does come, they also do so at their own peril. If the government shuts down, they will be solely held responsible for the consequences.
If the government shuts down, the Flight Attendant's Union will strike, probably with the Pilot's Union , joining a sick out of TSA and Air Traffic Controller. Such a move would cripple business, revenue, the economy and air travel. This was about to happen, when the government opened up three weeks ago.
Now, I hope Congress doe sit job to prevent itself, or the president, from shutting down the government. Also, pass legislation to make such action illegal.
2
I hope that news organizations closely track whoever may end up with the 1375 million dollars allocated.
10
Shuts the government down for a month in order to"build the wall", gets nothing and then appears on a stage weeks later under a sign saying "finish the wall". George Orwell could have written it better. Even funnier - the people at the rally live at the border, so they could literally check if there is any new wall for them to see.
18
@Baldwin
Trump's obsession with "building the wall" is more a campaign promise; it's a symbol of his fear and cruelty.
He spends virtually all of his time trying to appear like a winner.
He rarely comes off as a winner to me.
19
@A. Stanton
Trump might try to look like a winner..but one change to Stanton's remarks need to be clarified.
We need to change the statement to delete the word rarely...the correct word is NEVER
.
From the day he began his long torturous road to nomination, to the present day, he acts like someone who is NOT qualified to be president, and never will.
How pathetic can you get ? Just wait. More to come.
@Ninja San
Point taken.
2
I realise that I am, geographically, some distance away but I am certain that I recall Mr Trump stating, categorically, during the 2016 election campaign, that Mexico would pay for his wall.
I am at a loss as to why, now, he expects US taxpayers to fund his folly.
As a European, I still find it bizarre how an individual, who lost the presidential election by over 3,000,000 votes, actually won the election in the first place. Also, I've no idea why representation in State and Federal government is not proportional to the will of the the electorate.
USA, whatever else you are, a democracy you are not.
45
Jon from Ireland ,
Trump won even though Hillary got 3 million more votes because of our antiquated and outdated Electoral College system . That was set up as a compromise when our country was being formed in 1787 between those those who wanted the Congress to elect the president and those who wanted direct vote from the people . Also at that time in 1787 there was a disparate proportion of those living in rural areas compared to those in the cities like NY and Philadelphia so they wanted the rural areas with their different needs to be fairly represented . Each state now has electors ( the same number as their House Representatives) and whichever candidate wins that state they get all of the electors as a winner take all scenario . But because Clinton lost a handful a swing states , albeit by very small margins , all of those electors went to Trump even . She won big in other states which accounts for her getting more overall votes .
Many people in this country feel that the Electoral College has to be repealed and it’s an ongoing debate . If it was designed to prevent the rural areas from being marginalized unfortunately it has done just the opposite by giving deference to those less populated areas .
We really aren’t a democracy, but technically a democratic Republic. It’s not ideal but u fortunately it’s what have to work with right now .
5
Many of us here frustrated by those same questions.
3
On the same token, should we do away with the Senate, where states are equally represented even with drastically different populations?
Trump says he is not happy but I believe it is only because the compromise does not provide him with enough drama.
Having played the shutdwon card and lost, he will not play it again.
The emergency declaration and the use of monies earmarked for other things doesn't scare anyone because he will be challenged legally.
During the last elction cycle however, he did float the idea of deporting ALL 11 million plus illegal aliens .
I believe that may be his next threat. He will say that it is within the administrations right to do so.
Drama, He loves drama.
4
of course Trump is "not happy." It's only Tuesday. Bigger build-up to the "decision" on Friday, when, well, you know the game by now, all eyes will be on him.
May he prove me wrong.
3
Someone tell Donald Trump we don’t care whether he’s “happy” or not “happy”. He was elected to govern the United States. If he wants to be “happy” , he can resign and go back to running his own company in his own way with his own corrupt employees and family.
20
Trump loves to prolong the suspense, almost as much as he loves to denigrate other peoples' negotiated solutions. I think this is a lose-lose for the President and a win-win for the American people. I doubt he will accept the results graciously.
6
Trump Says He’s ‘Not Happy’ With Border Deal, but Doesn’t Say if He Will Sign It - Who cares and does it really matter what he says?! The press needs to stopping making headlines of everything Trump thinks as that is exactly what he wants to get attention for his base!
7
"Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican majority leader, who walked him through the provisions,"
This seems like a colorful metaphor as though Mitch and Donald were walking through a forest and Mitch was pointing out the natural beauty spots, but the metaphor is common and trite and really does not explain what happened. Did Mitch summarize the provisions for the reluctant learner or did go further and describe them in detail? Sloppy language does not further the publics understanding of issues and how to react to them.
@Denis It's sad that the president of this country has to have things spelled out to him with pictures and bullet points.
1
from the article:
'...authorizes Immigration and Customs Enforcement to fund about 40,000 detention “beds,” many of them in facilities run by for-profit companies...'
In other words, a graft opportunity - he will sign it. But he may have to pitch a portion of the cash across the aisle to Pelosi - that's called being "bi-partisan".
If anyone doubts, that this is the way our government works, please reply here, and let me know how all of our long term Congressmen and Senators become multi-millionaires, while working hard to "serve the people".
1
Didn't McConnell say when the Republicans took over Congress in 2010 that "elections have consequences"? Elections have just as many consequences when you lose as when you win. That's something he should have told Trump
2
The wall stalemate exposes trump's lack of GOP support and his dependency on the democrats.
The wall would have been funded in the last two years if the GOP supported trump & his wall.
2
I’m not happy, I’m not thrilled, on and on, the cries of a desperate old man with the intellect of a spoiled child who must get his “wall.” Democrat’s are smart: Give the president a sum even close to $5.7 billion (can’t he even round off?) and he’d keep asking for more. Maybe that’s the point: It gives his fans another 3-word phrase to yell at rallies. Lock her up! Build the wall! Soon the rallying cry will be: Count the Days! That is, until he is impeached.
3
"I am extremely unhappy with what the Democrats have given us."
And there you go: a man and party who think that the rest of America and the world are there to serve them exactly what they want.
7
Democrats must stand firm on their refusal to give in to the president's extortion over his plan to turn America into a national gated community. He is displaying all the wisdom that, during the Cold War, produced the Berlin Wall.
Aside from the absurdities and lies upon which Trump's Great Wall of Mexico are based, we should all know by now what kind of enterprise the actual building of the wall would be. It would be the "Trump University" of public works projects: riddled with fraud; unaccounted-for diversions of funds; runaway costs way beyond the original estimates; contractors with murky connections to the Trump Organization and the president himself; and all of this overseen and mismanaged by criminals--which is to say, Republican officials.
3
And to think that this is what America decided to saddle itself with because it simply couldn't stomach the notion of electing the most qualified presidential candidate in history, with the most relevant experience ever, to the highest office of the land -- all because she wasn't "likable" enough and allegedly corrupt, whereas her erstwhile perfectly adorably deplorable opponent is patently a paragon of virtue, wisdom, and generosity.
3
@polyticks
And oh, the irony of it all.
More drama and opaque power-tripping, this is news? He really appears to have convinced himself that he rules the realm and therefore is permitted carte blanche in any of these dealings. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking and if the legislative process doesn't get underway immediately, the deadline on Friday will be missed and another shutdown will be upon us.
It is amazing to see the dance that all sides are performing. The D's push against Trump, Trump postures and deflects and the R's, in order to get re-elected, try to avoid getting painted with Trump's orange paintbrush. In the midst of the chest beating and smugness by all parties, ordinary people get hurt. The little people lose pay (e.g. contract workers), pay checks are delayed for federal employees (even if they get back pay, you trying having your pay delayed for two pay periods), government services to citizens are delayed, and none of the politicians seems to care one iota.
All of the politicians get to save face and can claim some version of victory with the American people as collateral damage. But when have politicians ever worried about collateral damage?
It simply comes down to holding the President to his own very clear words: that Mexico would pay for it. His promise was unequivocal and that's what the Democrats should continue to come back with. Nuff said.
2
Trump on the possibility of another shutdown: “If you did have one, it’s the Democrats’ fault”.
This from someone who's been spending 60% of his day in 'executive time', and who left Washington in the midst of negotiations to appear at a partisan rally in El Paso. All that was after he'd already publicly stated that he thought the negotiations were a waste of time. That doesn't sound like someone actively participating in a solution, it sounds like someone intent on ignoring his responsibilities and undermining the process. So no, Mr. Trump, we won't be blaming another shutdown on the Democrats. We'll put the blame squarely on you, where it belongs.
5
Remember Jon Lovitz's character Tommy Flanagan, the pathological liar? Just substitute Donald Trump saying, "I'm the greatest President and I'm going to build the biggest wall. Yeah, that's the ticket". Hopefully, his base will also turn on him like the rest of us have.
1
"He does not think the government will shut down." - The President of the United States. He should resign today.
1
What does it matter that Trump declared that he was "not happy" about the agreement??
With his astounding number of lies, why would any newspaper just echo what he says? At least write something like "He claimed he was unhappy about the agreement, but as we know from experience, he might very well be lying again."
1
Trump is just messing with people. He knew he would never get 5 billion but he got money despite Pelosi claiming he wouldn't get one dime for a wall. Now both the house and Senate will approve this money to avoid a shutdown. On top of it Trump didn't have to give anything for DACA.
Who cares if Trump is "not happy?"
He ran on a so-called platform of unhappiness with anything not benefiting him, his family, and his .01% uber-rich cronies, and by showing disdain for pretty much anything connected with democracy, good government, or even basic decency.
The public IS NOT happy with the state of things in our nation, with Trump's corrupt misrule the main source most of us are "unhappy" with our government.
As Trump saying that "he would have to study" the proposed budget deal is a real laugher! When did Trump even "study" anything!
What he really means is that he has to check with Jared, Ivanka, Coulter, Limbaugh, and whoever tells him what is in a bill, since Trump is unwilling or unable to read anything longer than a Tweet! Between rounds of golf!
6
Trump likes playing "King". He likes the idea of having people sitting on pins & needles waiting for him to determine which way the wind is going to blow. This whole "I may, or I may not" thing serves several purposes. It gives him the feeling of power while providing an escape hatch to weasel out of if he makes the wrong decision. Like how he's already pre-blamed the Democrats if another shutdown occurs. If there's a solution he'll take all the credit as if he's saved the day. This man is so transparent you can see his blood vessels.
2
Trump had the first two years of his presidency to get wall funding from the Republican majority Congress.
Of course, the GOP doesn't want the wall either.
McConnell and Ryan spent the first two years distracting Trump to repeal Obamacare and get a tax cut for their wealthy donors.
It seems thst Congressional Republicans conned the con man in the White House.
2
I don't think Ann Coulter's gonna like this. She's de facto President of the United States, isn't she?
5
The reality show president drags this out to the bitter end. If the government shuts down again, I hope the air traffic controllers stage a sick out. Maybe this demagogue will realize he can’t govern by intimidation.
4
So, basically the Greatest Dealmaker in History demanded $5.7 billion, shut the government down when he didn't get it, and now walks away with a Home Depot gift card. Watch out, China.
2
When a misbehaving 6-year-old brat screams that he's unhappy, that turns out often to be good behavior modification for that child. Let's hope the technique works on our childish president.
8
@Jim Steinberg
Exactly.
Had President Trump taken a different path - more in line with the that of Nelson Rockefeller and Ronald Reagan and shown interest and a willingness to hear all sides, we would all have benefited greatly.
5
You’re joking of course. He’s a psychopath and “had” and “what if”are meaningless.
1
"Any Republican that supports this garbage compromise, you’ll have to explain,” Sean Hannity. Any Republican who supports...
Unless, of course, Mr. Hannity believes Republicans are things and not people.
6
So the narcissist-in-chief is "not happy" about not getting his wall. I've never seen a better example of two negatives equalling a positive.
12
These detainees 'beds' cost the US taxpayer $1000 a night according to a reporter on MSNBC. Someone is making out like a bandit, and it isn't suppliers of high thread count Egyptian linen.
16
Kellyanne is happy, though. She told him not to hug himself and pout while rocking back and forth in his chair - and just look what a good boy he is being today!
Well, at least Kellyanne Conway is happy.
7
who on earth cares one whit whether trump is happy or not?
he is not capable of human feelings.
he wears a scowl 24/7.
19
A politician who "flip-flops" is considered unreliable. An overtly racist politician is unacceptable. A politician who publicly disrespects women is done for. A politician who relentlessly tells lies loses all credibility. Let's see...anything else? Oh yeah... A politician who refuses to make tax returns public is hiding something. A politician having a history of stealing from contractors is a thief.
Nearly half the U.S. voting public elected this unqualified person to be their president? Pay close attention or this is what you get.
9
..uh oh- he’s not happy - you know what happens now!