commander-in-tweets
Trump threatens government shutdown over border wall
President Trump on Twitter Sunday did a stunningly good impression of a toddler throwing a tantrum as he threatened to shut down the federal government to force Congress to appropriate funds for his promised border wall construction:
In earlier tweets on the subject, Trump accused migrant parents of using their children for "sinister purposes" and quoted praise for himself from the former director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Trump has reportedly said in the past he believes shutdowns can advantage him politically. His tweets come as 711 migrant children remain in federal custody after being separated from their parents at the border by the Trump administration. A court-ordered deadline to reunite the families has already passed.
Read The Week's Paul Waldman on how Trump has chosen "the dumbest political fight ever" by threatening a shutdown — and Matthew Walther on why it's an obvious choice for Trump to make.