Trump says he can wait until later on border wall funding…

Trump is backing off a demand that his border wall funding be in the spending bill that must be passed by Friday night to avert a shutdown:

FOX NEWS – President Trump began to edge away Monday evening from demanding that funding for his promised border wall be included in a must-pass spending bill, reducing the chances of a government shutdown at the end of the week by making clear he’s flexible on that timeline.

Trump told a group of 20 conservative media reporters Monday evening that he would be willing to return to the wall funding issue in September, two people in the meeting said. His earlier demand that it be included represented a significant impasse in budget talks, and the latest comments potentially could pave the way for a bipartisan deal just days ahead of the government shutdown deadline.

White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway confirmed to “Fox & Friends” Tuesday morning that the wall does not need to be funded this week, but she said it remains a “very important priority to [Trump].”

“Building that wall and having it funded remains an important priority to him, but we also know that that can happen later this year and into next year,” she said.

Trump also took to Twitter Tuesday morning to make clear that his overall position has not changed.

“Don’t let the fake media tell you that I have changed my position on the WALL. It will get built and help stop drugs, human trafficking etc,” he wrote.

Congress is under pressure to pass a $1 trillion spending bill that would pay for government agencies; if the bill fails to pass by midnight Friday, it will trigger a partial government shutdown.

On one hand I like this, as it shows Trump is willing to be flexible. It also takes the idea of a government shutdown away from the media, something they seem quite willing to blame on Trump despite the fact that it would be the Democrats who’d be holding up the process.

On the other hand, it bothers me that Trump isn’t standing up to the media and the Democrats on this issue, especially since Republicans control both houses and the executive. After all if Republicans were blamed for the government shutdown in 2013 when Obama controlled the presidency and Harry Reid had the Senate, then Democrats surely should be liable now right? You’d think that anyway, but Republicans are ALWAYS to blame when it comes to the media.

Lastly, when it comes to the border wall funding I’ve always been of the mindset that despite Trump claiming that Mexico would pay for it, that we should pay for it and I’m totally fine with Congress making that happen. I’ve never believed Mexico would pay for it and I think it’s silly to get involved in such arguments. Yes, that means Trump too. It was a ludicrous claim from the beginning.


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