Donald Trump’s seniormost foreign policy expert was in Mexico last month accepting Mexico’s highest award for foreigners. He received the “Order of the Aztec Eagle” from Mexican President Nieto on November 30th for his important contributions and work in negotiating updates to NAFTA with Mexico.
Then he returned home with his award in hand in time to watch his Father-in-law shut down tens or hundreds of thousands of people’s jobs and stop important government business around the globe to try and force Congress to pay for an enormous wall between our two countries.
There is a vital connection here that is easy to skip over, or to downplay. Nobody wants to take the wall, or Jared, seriously. But we must.
Jared is arguably Trump’s topmost and best international policy hand. He was selected to head, and has been central in many of Trump’s largest international initiatives: Israeli policy. The Middle East in general. Mexico. Communications with Russia. The MBS fan boy squee captain. He’s the smart boy child Trump never had, and also the top dog in all Trump Administration in-house internecine conflicts, which means he is calling a lot of the shots.
“The Wall” is the hill Trump is prepared to die on. It is the one reliable rallying cry for his base that hits all the important marks: it pisses off rational people, it unites the racist radicals, it is a concrete goal (ha!) and eminently actionable, therefore simple enough to fit on a bumper sticker wrapped tightly around the frontal cortex. Beyond that, his wall is currently both shutting down government indefinitely, and a punch aimed squarely at Nancy Pelosi and her incoming House Democratic Majority. If they resolve this under Speaker Ryan, they are hurrying to do their worst before the new Sheriff gets to town. But if the Freedom Caucus instead is holding the town hostage while the crime boss hunkers down behind his corrupt judges when she arrives, it’s a whole different plot. Now the townspeople are peering out through their shutters waiting to see who to throw in with once the winner emerges from the first battle. Trump already called her hand and got enough votes to clear the House. He is dying to pin the shutdown on Pelosi. He knows his rhetoric tends to overshadow reality when he can control the narrative. He knows that successfully pinning general blame for the shutdown on the Democrats will hurt their credibility in matters of even greater consequence, like getting him the hell out of office. This is a messaging war she has to win.
The best strategy in this case isn’t to saddle up and try to win the fight. Nor is it to avoid the fight and let everyone suffer. It’s to close the door to the sty while the pigs are still in it.
There is a message that has been out there since the first infantile days of Trump’s candidacy. We all know it, and it is the right message with all the right notes, right now. “Mexico will pay for the wall.” Trump is the “best negotiator,” with the “best brain.” Jared is an amazingly smart guy with two years worth of experience in international negotiations, if you count the illegal shit from before the inauguration. Trump just negotiated for Mexico to hold asylum seekers on their side of the border while their claims are considered. Jared was just awarded that super duper prize, by Mexico, for his amazing deal making skills. Any decent negotiator could make a solid argument to Mexico for funds to secure the border. They are losing talented people who are seeking higher pay elsewhere. There are crime syndicates preying on and killing people near the border that take advantage of being able to cross easily. An impervious border can dissuade migrants from other countries from entering Mexico to get to the United States…
A great negotiator could make arguments and offers that would gain serious desire to contribute from influential people in Mexico.
A world-class negotiator would get the wall built by American workers in Mexico to our specs and with joint patrols on their dime.
Jared obviously has the contacts in Mexico to make the pitch. He allegedly has the skills to make the deal. Mexico even seems to think so.
Nancy Pelosi should insist that he try. And that we turn the government back on in the meantime.
Anything less risks letting the gate to the sty unlatched.