How Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer got Trump to own a government shutdown

They walked into a trap and turned the tables.


Pelosi and Schumer didn’t know their meeting with Trump would be televised. They still used it to their advantage.
By Ella Nilsenella.nilsen@vox.com Dec 12, 2018, 10:50am EST

Nancy Pelosi’s negotiating prowess was on full display on Tuesday, as she and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer openly sparred with President Donald Trump on live television.

Pelosi’s negotiation tactics are considered her greatest strength. Often, these negotiations take place behind closed doors, at all hours of the day or night; Pelosi is famous for 2 am meetings with members to hash out policy differences on large bills until a consensus is reached.

One member, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) once told Vox Pelosi cannot ever be underestimated: “I think Nancy Pelosi is one of the smartest people in Congress. I think she’s almost like a shark; I don’t think she sleeps. She is as tough as they come.”

But Tuesday’s negotiation didn’t take place behind closed doors. The fully televised meeting an added element of surprise from the White House that neither Pelosi nor Schumer were fully prepared for, according to an aide. Pelosi and Schumer had met the night before in her office to go over the details of who would say what, but convincing the president of the United States to wholeheartedly take credit for a possible shutdown wasn’t part of the plan — at first.

More: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/12/12/18136748/nancy-pelosi-chuck-schumer-trump-government-shutdown