Donald Trump played politics on live TV, and lost: Today's talker
President Donald Trump and the Democratic congressional leaders — Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer — disagreed Tuesday over border wall funding, which could lead to a government shutdown.
Trump gives the cameras a show
By Jim Kessler
Tuesday's episode in the Oval Office showed why House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have the jobs they have: leaders of the Democratic Party in their respective chambers but also leaders for the American people.
The meeting with President Donald Trump was intended to find a common-ground solution to keep the government open, but the president had other ideas. Rather than negotiating a bipartisan agreement, Trump chose to create a reality TV style feud for the cameras.
But without a script or advanced notice, the two Democratic leaders turned the tables. Pelosi rose above the barbs and tried to save the meeting, insisting they shouldn't negotiate in front of the cameras. She was all substance and pragmatism.
Schumer made it crystal clear there are viable common-ground proposals waiting for the president in the House and the Senate, even as the president slung attacks. Trump would have none of it, sacrificing solutions for theater.
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Now, away from the cameras, the two parties can assess the results and here they are: Democrats are united behind their leaders, and Republicans are divided and aghast. Vice President Mike Pence couldn't utter a word in 17 minutes. Since then, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell has been mostly silent. And House Speaker Paul Ryan doesn't have the votes to move the wall out of the House.
It's clearer than ever: While Trump’s party is unwilling or unable to rein in his baser instincts, Democrats are ready, willing and able to make government work again for the American people.
Eventually, this will have to be resolved. The government might or might not shut down, and the wall won't get funded. But the president played reality politics on the grandest of stages and flopped.
Jim Kessler is senior vice president for policy at Third Way. You can follow him on Twitter: @ThirdWayKessler.
What our readers are saying
President Donald Trump wants a border wall. He campaigned on it and told all Americans that if elected, he'd have his wall and Mexico would pay for it. He said it, no exaggeration. It is the signature promise of his campaign.
Let's make him keep his campaign promise. Let's take Trump at his word. Let's tell him to get the money from Mexico.
— Kelly Martin
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer had no intention of negotiating the budget. The second they heard "the wall," they bailed out like it was some sort of personal insult. Did they expect that this issue was just going to go away? No, they didn't. The Oval Office meeting on Tuesday was all Democrat theatrics.
— Tom Sfer
The meeting wasn't supposed to be televised. The reporters were supposed to be allowed in after the meeting. Trump insisted on letting them in. He's just that narcissistic. Then Trump started ranting about that stupid wall. Pelosi and Schumer had already told him they weren't going to pay for it, and that a plan had already been made. Trump probably thought that if he had Pelosi and Schumer on camera, they would feel pressured to capitulate. Boy was he wrong.
Trump thought the cameras, raising his voice, and interrupting Pelosi and Schumer would bully them into silence. No such luck. They know Trump, and they're not impressed. He doesn't scare anyone. He's just a bully. And Pelosi knows how to handle bullies.
— Cynthia Queen
What others are saying
Matt Lewis, The Daily Beast: "In a jaded world where secrets are increasingly hard to keep, President Donald Trump earns points for authenticity. Congressional Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer repeatedly urged that their negotiating be done in private, but Trump countered with talk of 'transparency.' I’m a fan of smoke-filled backrooms, but it pains me to say that Trump seized the high ground (in terms of public opinion) here. If you are a supporter of the president’s policies, this was an especially welcome display — a rare example of a president publicly fighting for his policy goal: a border wall. The public fight is important."
Osita Nwanevu, The New Yorker: "In 2010, President Barack Obama’s participation in a similar televised Q&A session with congressional Republicans was so well received by politicos and the press that it inspired a short-lived bipartisan campaign, called 'Demand Question Time,' to bring the British tradition to the U.S. Tuesday’s lively Oval Office photo op ... was perhaps the closest American politics has come to a repeat of that unusual day. ... Trump’s surliness and Pelosi’s unease aside, the participation of public servants in public discussions about public affairs does seem healthy. It’s a wonder we’ve gone so long with so few of them."
Kayleigh McEnany, FoxNews.com: "Once again, the president is showing us that he is putting America and the American people first. We should all be grateful for this. ... At the meeting with President Trump, Pelosi showed she was more interested in scoring political points than in keeping the American people safe. Though she claimed to have come to the White House in 'good faith,' her talking points proved otherwise."
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Donald Trump played politics on live TV, and lost: Today's talker
