This may go without saying for some. But I do not think that Democrats are giving Trump some help or throwing him a lifeline at the price of accomplishing something really critical in policy terms – protecting the Dreamers. I think that gets this exactly wrong. I think pressing Trump for this deal is doing immense damage to Trump. Indeed, the more successful it is, the greater the damage.
If this deal falls apart, it will have done Trump – or more specifically his relationship with his core constituency – immense damage. If it comes to fruition, the damage is even worse. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying his ‘base’ abandons him en masse and suddenly those approval numbers drop to zero. But this is very, very damaging for Trump, just as it when any politician casually betrays a key agenda item for his or her staunchest supporters.
