| | | | Donald Trump would like his cake. And to eat it, too. |  | | Here are three things we know about President Donald Trump's views of the deal cut by Congress to keep the government open and resolve the ongoing battle over border wall funding:
1. He isn't a fan of the compromise. "Am I happy? The answer is no, I'm not," Trump said, answering his own question on Tuesday. "I'm not happy."
2. He may well sign the bill anyway. "I don't think you're going to see a shutdown," Trump told reporters.
3. He hasn't ruled out declaring a national emergency to get more of what he wants. "I'm adding things to it," Trump said. "It's all going to happen, where we're going to build a beautiful, big, strong wall."
This is a have-your-cake-and-eat-it-too moment for Trump. The compromise legislation doles out $1.375 billion for increased border barriers. Trump has said repeatedly that he needs $5.7 billion. There's a $4.3 billion gap there, a gap that maybe just maybe Trump decides to fill via an emergency declaration sometime after he signs the compromise legislation to keep the government running.
Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, a vocal Trump advocate, certainly thinks that's the way to go. "Absolutely," replied Graham when asked Tuesday by CNN whether Trump still needs to declare a national emergency if he signs the compromise.
"The difference between what we appropriate and $5.7 (billion), that delta, he'll have to find on his own," added Graham. "I think in two ways he can basically have some authority without a national emergency to reprogram money and the other ways declare a national emergency and move money around. I think he'll do both."
You can see the appeal of, in Graham's words, doing both. Keeping the government open will sate the likes of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky), who was apoplectic during the recent 35-day government shutdown. Using his emergency powers to secure the money Trump believes he needs to build the wall would make his base very happy.
The question is, how much hell are House Democrats willing to raise over it? (As Michael Warren notes, they could raise a good amount of hell.) The other big question is whether Senate Republicans are willing to go along with an emergency declaration as long as the government stays open.
The Point: Trump is Trump, meaning all of this could change by tomorrow -- or even tonight. But you rarely get everything you want in politics -- and I have to believe this border shutdown is no exception.
-- Chris | | "This job is absolutely maddening. We are spending all of our time simply trying to avert disaster and maintain the status quo. I don't know why anybody would want to run for Congress if all you do is try to convince the President to not hurt the country."
-- Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat, letting out some of his frustration over blowback to the border security deal reached to avert another government shutdown. | | | LAUREN'S CAMPAIGN TRAIL-ADJACENT DISPATCH | | | What happens when your upward mobility in the House is -- ahem -- hindered?
When it comes to Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton, you openly toy with running for president, apparently.
Fresh off a failed House leadership fight to unseat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Seth Moulton today went to the Brookings Institute for a speech and Q&A on national security.
Because when domestic policy issues don't play out, there's always foreign policy. And that happens to be a sweet spot for Moulton, who's been able to lean into his former military experience and wonk out.
Not to mention this high profile foreign policy speech/setting is a rite of passage for any serious presidential candidate (remember Elizabeth Warren's?).
Moulton doesn't have any upcoming travel plans to eyebrow-raising states like New Hampshire or Iowa yet, but he's been in the past. He headlined Iowa's iconic Polk County Democrats Steak Fry back in 2017, meaning there's inroads Moulton can return to should he decide to run for president.
And as he put it today, that's definitely on the table: "I am looking at this very seriously. Now the decision I need to make is whether or not running for president is the best way I can serve the country in the future." | | | To get you ready for later this week, here's a new one from SOAK, delectably titled "Valentine Shmalentine." | |  | Virginia's blackface scandal is getting worse | | In just five days, the top three elected Democrats in Virginia were engulfed in various scandals. From blackface to accusations of sexual assault, here's how the party imploded in less than a week.
Keep up with it all -- and more -- by subscribing to The Point on YouTube! | | Maryland Rep. John Delaney is apparently super consistent about making return visits.
Delaney, who has been a declared presidential candidate since 2017 and has already held 140 events in Iowa (!) according to The Des Moines Register's candidate visit tracker, apparently does the same with his favorite musician: Bruce Springsteen.
Delaney (who also happens to be a New Jersey native) says he's seen Springsteen in concert at least 30 times, according to veteran New Hampshire reporter John DiStaso. | | Howard Schultz: The former Starbucks CEO mulling an independent presidential bid sits down tonight for a CNN town hall with Poppy Harlow in Texas.
Bill De Blasio: The mayor of New York City is thinking about running for president -- and heading to New Hampshire this weekend to test the water.
Sherrod Brown: The Ohio senator is one of the few would-be presidential contenders who isn't forcefully backing the Green New Deal.
Elizabeth Warren: The Massachusetts senator made an unannounced stop at a Native American conference in Washington, DC, to introduce Cheryl Andrews-Maltais, chairwoman of the Wampanoag Tribe of Massachusetts.
Cory Booker: The New Jersey senator will make his first New Hampshire visit as a presidential candidate over the long weekend, with six stops spread over three days.
Mark Kelly: The former NASA astronaut and Navy veteran is aiming for new heights -- the US Senate. He's announced a bid for the seat formerly held by his wife, former Sen. Gabby Giffords. | | | | | | |
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