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Donald Trump is preparing a big push to win the politics of the government shutdown he owns lock, stock, and barrel. He’s heading to the border on Thursday to campaign for his wall—or, as press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders puts it, “to meet with those on the frontlines of the national security and humanitarian crisis.”
But he’s not stopping there: Trump wants to take over our televisions on Tuesday night to harangue the nation about how we should all be terrified of migrant families fleeing violence and poverty and how even though he said that “I am proud to shut down the government for border security” and threatened to keep it closed for months or years, the shutdown is still all the fault of congressional Democrats.
The New York Times reports that, though the White House wasn’t officially commenting, “A person familiar with the request said the White House had asked to interrupt prime time programming on Tuesday.” Networks making this decision should recall how they handled then-President Barack Obama’s announcement of Deferred Action for Parents of Americans: They didn’t air it.
The government shutdown stretches on, and serious, widespread pain is on the way. But Trump is not ready to give in on his wall demands. Hey, as long as he’s not the one feeling the pain, he’s not the kind of guy to care.