"... Mexico will pay for it" to "Mexico will pay for it eventually in some form, but now we need $1.5 billion to get started - and I might be willing to shut down the government if I don't get it." Trump is also threatening to nuke Obamacare by eliminating payments to insurance companies unless the Dems agree to fund the wall.
This is how Trump negotiates - this is the Art of the Deal. The problem is that he has zero leverage, but it's not clear whether he realizes that.
Trump thinks he can blame the Dems if the government shuts down - he can't. He'll certainly try, but the GOP controls both houses of Congress and the White House and doesn't need a single Dem vote to give him what he wants. If the government shuts down, they will own it. A lot of people in Congress on both sides of the aisle do not want to see funding for the border wall in this continuing resolution - they want something revenue neutral that will just keep the government operating for now.
If Obamacare goes down in flames and millions lose their health insurance because Trump yanks the funding, it will also be a GOP problem - they have the votes, it doesn't matter what the Dems do. After 7 years and 50+ show votes to repeal Obamacare, they finally got their first unencumbered swing at it - and whiffed. Whether they like it or not, the GOP now owns healthcare.
Trump still doesn't understand how Congress works, which probably helps explain why his 100-day legislative agenda never went anywhere. The Dems don't have to obstruct at this point - they can just sit back and watch the GOP fight amongst themselves and eventually implode.
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