On several occasions in his short political life, US President Donald Trump tried to be a presidential figure, trimmed his liberal style and read it from the text-projector, which he once threatened to ban, and adhering to traditional methods of reading texts. On Tuesday, he did it again, when he made his first address to the nation of the Oval Office in the midst of the second longest government shutdown in US history. As in previous times, Trump, who is trying to be a presidential figure, spoke of the dangers more than anything else in his speech, and he blamed the Democratic House, which decided to stand up to him, and put all his weight on a dramatic closure. Fulfills his campaign promise to build a wall along the border with Mexico.

nothing new

According to normal presidential standards, the nine-minute televised speech was only slightly taut, and Trump made no new concessions. He made repeated arguments, often directed at the Democrats, to agree to $ 5.7 billion to build a border wall in exchange for a partial closure of the government. "Some suggested that the barrier is immoral," Trump said, referring to an address by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, without mentioning the name. "So why do wealthy politicians build walls, fences and gates around their homes? They do not build walls because they hate those outside, but because they love who is inside. "

Later in the speech, Trump said the problem could be resolved in a "45-minute meeting," but in Friday's meeting with Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, his tone was very different. He spent 15 minutes In bragging and ranting. Shortly after the top Democratic lawmakers sat in their seats, the president told them he would not budge from the $ 5.7 billion he had demanded to build the border wall and was willing to keep the government partially closed for months or even years. Trump was «like a bull in a porcelain warehouse», according to a democratic source familiar with these arguments. Trump spoke in a sudden direction, Trump Pelosi asked, according to his own personal account of the conversation: "Why do not you use this in my questioning and my idleness?" Pelosi responded that the House of Representatives was not thinking of isolating him. It seems as if the president, who is still at the top of his term, points to the specter of an accusation against him because of an unrelated interview. The president seems to acknowledge that there are many positions in the negotiations that are in favor of ending the government closure rather than supporting the "big and beautiful wall" , Which he promised in his campaign. Trump now faces a divided government for the first time in his political career, threatening to carry out investigations into his campaign, his work and his administration. For a man who has spent his career in a family-run business, it means that he may have to make concessions or accept defeat in relation to certain goals.

A metaphor for authority

The border wall has not only become a symbol of Trump's restrictive approach to migration, but has become a powerful metaphor for his political power. For the White House, any concession to Trump's promises makes the Democrats think they can shelter him through their new legislative power during the remainder of his first term. If Trump is weakened in this conflict, the White House fears that Democrats will dare to put more claims on Trump's initiatives, such as cutting drug prices, spending on transportation needs, and infrastructure. On the other hand, if Trump wins the battle of closure, the White House sees an opportunity to weaken its critics ahead of the presidential primaries.

The game is zero

From Trump's point of view, politics is a zero-sum game, and the winner of this confrontation will have a greater political impact in the next two years in terms of investigations, policy-making and even accountability. Trump used the broadcast on Tuesday and used his trip to McAllen, Texas, on Thursday to explain his case that the border wall is a necessary element and why Democrats should give him more funding to stop the growing number of families and children Flow across the southern border of the United States with Central America and deter more dangerous land voyages that migrants risk. Trump said illegal immigration was weakening public resources, cutting wages, "huge amounts" of drugs coming across the southern border, and that "thousands" of Americans had been killed by unregistered migrants over the years.

The main broadcast networks agreed to abandon the lucrative evening programs to broadcast Trump's speech on the grounds that the president would handle the closure, a major news event, despite concerns that Trump would use the broadcast to launch a clear political message. Democratic leaders were also able to send out live responses: Pelosi Trump accused "the American people being held hostage" and "manufacturing crises". Schumer criticized the wall, saying that "the border wall is ineffective and unnecessary."

Meanwhile, about 800,000 employees in nine federal departments - about a quarter of the federal labor force - have either stopped or have been working without pay since December 22. Trump and his team place this wall as a solution to what they describe as an illegal immigration crisis, with high bets, such as protecting US citizens from violence and terrorism. "I think we have made progress in proving the fact that we have a humanitarian and security crisis on our southern border," Vice President Mike Pines told a small group of reporters gathered at his office on Monday afternoon after his weekend meetings with Democrats. Pines confirmed that the White House adviser's office was "looking into" legal ways to use emergency funding to build the wall. "There is a real sense of urgency," says Homeland Security Secretary Kersten Nielsen, who was also present at the briefing. "The crisis is getting worse."

support

Trump found support from his conservative supporters as he sought tools to stop illegal immigration. "I feel that the fight over the financing of the wall is a battle over border security, which is morally fair, because there is no way to manage an immigration regime in this country," says the president of the American Conservative Union, Matt Schillp. Democrats, on the other hand, speak of the battle as it relates to the symbol of the Trump border wall. "The wall is an immoral barrier between countries," Pelosi said on January 3.

Democrats in the House of Representatives, who have been confirmed to have won, are moving forward with stand-alone bills to rearrange the scattered bureaucratic pieces, but these moves are largely symbolic, because Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will only raise a vote He was sure that the subject was getting the White House's approval. This partial government closure, the longest in the nation's history, does not inspire optimism about the relationship between the White House and the new Democrats in the House of Representatives. Both sides are spurring the fight. At present, Trump is blamed for the closure, according to polling stations. According to a poll conducted by Havpost / Yogov in the last days of December, 51% of Americans believe that Trump is partly responsible for the closure, 44% believe the Democrats have some responsibility, and 36% blame the Republicans in part for " Congress. "

- The border wall

Not just become a symbol

Trump's restrictive approach

But metaphorically

Strong for his authority

Political situation.

- according to normal standards

For the presidency, it was not

The televised speech

Which lasted for

Nine minutes

Disciplined only a little,

Trump was not presented

Any new concessions,

But presented arguments

Repeatedly her face

mostly

To the Democrats

For approval

Saving 5.7 billion

$ To build a wall

Border vs

Close closes partially

Government.