Why Trump Won’t Force Shutdown Over His Wall

Stan Collender: “The new reality is that, with a Democrat-controlled House next year, it may make more political sense for Trump to keep the wall issue alive through the next Congress — especially if he’ll be able to blame House Democrats for it not being funded — than to get his funding now.”

“‘The wall’ isn’t the real issue anyway; it’s just a way for Trump and other Republicans to appeal to the GOP base on immigration without using language that others will find offensive.”

“Given how much Trump relied on immigration in the midterms, it’s a safe bet to assume that he’ll want to keep the issue alive somehow and make it a major focus of his reelection campaign over the next two years. One of the best ways to do that will be not to make a stand that it be funded now.”