The chaos president is at it again. In the political equivalent of shouting, Hey everyone, look over there!, Donald Trump on Sunday revived threats to shut down the government if Congress doesn't fund his $25 billion wall along America's southern border.
Another round of shutdown-roulette now looms — the last thing Capitol Hill Republicans want heading into the midterm elections. But it's the perfect reminder to voters of what's at stake in the November election.
"I would be willing to 'shut down' government if the Democrats do not give us the votes for Border Security, which includes the Wall!" Trump tweeted. "Must get rid of Lottery, Catch & Release etc. and finally go to system of Immigration based on MERIT!"
He made a strange choice to target Democrats in the message considering that Republicans control both houses of Congress and have rejected previous efforts to fully fund the border wall.
On the surface, the tweet appeared to be apropos of nothing, but of course it's apropos of plenty: Tapes from Trump's former "fixer," Michael Cohen, indicate Trump lied about his knowledge of a payoff to a former Playboy model who alleges an affair with him. Former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort faces trial on bank fraud charges, which could shake loose new dirt about the campaign's alleged Russia collusion. Anger still simmers at Trump's shameful kowtowing to Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki this month.
As always when Trump is beset by threatening controversy, his go-to strategy is to eclipse it with controversy more to his liking. His promised wall spanning most of the 2,000-mile southern border is a topic that puts him back where he's most comfortable: ramping up the xenophobic fury of his adoring base with a bumper-sticker solution to a complex problem.
The wall is less realistic than ever, given the various fiscal holes Trump and his Republican enablers are digging. Trump is planning to spend another $12 billion to shore up farmers hurt by his trade war. Trump's call for a 10-year, $1.5 trillion infrastructure program — a good idea — has yet to be significantly funded. Government forecasters say the Republican tax cut, which was supposed to pay for itself through sustained, high economic growth, will instead add $1 trillion to the deficit in the coming decade.
Given all that, where exactly is the wall funding supposed to come from? Mexico still hasn't sent the payment check Trump promised.
Republican leaders, employing the lazy-parent strategy, are telling Trump they can talk about it later. The danger, of course, is that at some point, they actually might if they retain their majority. Voters must exercise the chance on Nov. 6 to install a Congress willing to impose the checks and balances that this rambunctious chief executive so clearly needs.
REPRINTED FROM THE ST LOUIS POST DISPATCH
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