Trump has done much to earn his TACO nickname. Whether it is the war in Ukraine or tariffs, Trump is always chickening out, so when the president and his party shut the government down, it was only a matter of time until the White House saw polling that showed the American people blaming them for the shutdown, and they began to look for a way out.
Democrats have given Republicans an off-ramp to end their government shutdown.
All Republicans have to do is extend the Obamacare subsidies that are set to expire at the end of the year.
Donald Trump has basically vanished from public view except for some pre-taped interviews with conservative media and his social media account.
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Trump has been talking tough on social media, but it is clear that the White House’s plan of punishing blue states by withholding funding is not working. If anything, the scheme is causing Democrats to dig in more.
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that behind the public tough talk, the White House is getting worried:
Advisers are worried that the GOP will take the blame for allowing healthcare subsidies to expire, raising costs for millions of Americans ahead of next year’s midterm elections, according to administration officials.
Inside the White House, aides are discussing proposals to extend the enhanced subsidies for Affordable Care Act health-insurance plans, the officials said. Trump hasn’t yet decided whether he will endorse such a proposal, according to the officials. Republicans say they will only hold negotiations with Democrats on the matter after the government is reopened.
The closed-door hand-wringing stands in contrast to the public bravado conveyed by the president and his top advisers.
The WSJ pointed out that of the 75 congressional districts where at least 10% of the population is enrolled in the ACA, 62 lean Republican.
In other words, Trump has painted himself into a corner, and we’ll talk about the consequences below.
