Trump wages PR war as shutdown talks falter

Source: Politico


The president will deliver a primetime address and head to the southern border as he digs in on his wall funding demands.

By BURGESS EVERETT and REBECCA MORIN 01/07/2019 12:38 PM EST Updated 01/07/2019 01:45 PM EST

President Donald Trump plans to give a national address and travel to the southern border as negotiations to reopen the government remain deadlocked and there are no real discussions happening with Democrats.

The two PR moves signal that the president is not easing off his demands for billions in border wall funding that have pushed the government into one of the longest shutdowns in U.S. history. Trump said he will give an address on Tuesday at 9 p.m. "on the humanitarian and national security crisis on our southern border," a clear move to challenge Democrats over their insistence that they will not give him the additional border funding he's seeking.

After a weekend of talks between Vice President Mike Pence and other White House officials with congressional staffers, there are no meetings currently scheduled this week, according to congressional sources — underscoring how far apart Democrats and the president remain.

Pence and Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen will come to the Capitol on Wednesday to try and rally House Republicans to stick with the president before the House votes on Democratic spending bills designed to reopen portions of the government, according to multiple Republican sources.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/story/2019/01/07/trump-government-shutdown-border-wall-1084693