Trump’s Hand Grows Weaker

Rick Klein: “The easy part of governing during the Trump presidency is over. Yes, really.”

“Noon on Thursday opens a new chapter for President Donald Trump and the Washington scene he’s come to dominate.l

“It comes at something of a low point for Trump, who faces growing concerns inside his party, including those most vocally expressed by Mitt Romney, the incoming junior senator from Utah. The Republican Party as a whole, meanwhile, relinquishes power in the House in the middle of a prolonged government shutdown.”

“When Rep. Nancy Pelosi takes the speaker’s gavel once again, united GOP control of Congress evaporates. With it goes perhaps the biggest piece of Republican leverage in obtaining Trump’s signature campaign promise of a border wall — the reason for the shutdown that Trump says ‘could be a long time.k”