As the deadline to fund the government fast approaches, President Donald Trump has been telling acquaintances that a government shutdown could be good for him, the Washington Post reported Thursday night, citing unnamed people who spoke to the President recently.
Trump has told several people that if the government were to shut down, he would simply blame it on Democrats, according to the Washington Post.
After cutting a deal with Democrats to fund the government and raise the debt limit in September and then suggesting he may work with Democrats to restore the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals protections, Trump has said recently that he wants to cater to his base this time around, according to the Washington Post.
He has told advisers over the past 10 days that he wants to show that he is taking a hard line on immigration by pushing for funding for the border wall, per the Post. He has become concerned that the September deal made him look like a “chump,” an unnamed adviser told the Washington Post.
White House Legislative Affairs Director Marc Short denied Thursday that Trump wants to shut down the government.
“He’s not advocating for a shutdown in any way. We want to make sure our military is funded. We want to make sure our priorities are funded. That’s why we invited [Democrats] over to have a conversation about a deal,” Short told reporters, per the Washington Post.
Trump and congressional leaders face a Dec. 8 deadline to fund the government. Since GOP lawmakers are deep into their effort to cut taxes, House Republican leaders will reportedly introduce legislation to fund the government through Dec. 22 to give them more time to work out a larger deal.
Read the Washington Post’s full report here.
