Nancy Pelosi made the biggest miscalculation of her political career.
The Democrat leader in the House walked into the Oval Office, drew a line in the sand, and then dared Trump to cross it.
But Pelosi never thought her gamble would’ve backfired in this major way.
Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer ventured into the Oval Office for a meeting with Donald Trump carrying one simple message: Give up on funding the border wall and cave into our open borders agenda.
Trump insisted Congress include five billion dollars in wall-funding in any bill to fund the government before the December 21 deadline.
But Democrats claimed the midterm election gave them a mandate to obstruct Trump’s Make America Great Again immigration agenda.
Trump said the Republican-controlled House could pass a border wall funding bill if he asked.
That’s when Pelosi snapped back and said Trump would fail because he did not have the votes.
“But there are no votes in the House, a majority of votes, for a wall — no matter where you start,” Pelosi ranted.
Trump clapped back that he could get the votes in the House if he really needed them.
“Okay, let me ask you this. Just — and we’re doing this in a very friendly manner. It doesn’t help for me to take a vote in the House, where I will win easily with the Republicans,” The President told the Democrat Congressional leaders.
Pelosi rudely interrupted the President with her prediction that funding for Trump’s wall could not even pass a Republican-controlled House.
“You will not win,” Pelosi icily interjected.
Trump argued he had not pressed the House to vote on wall-funding because Democrats were certain to filibuster the bill in the Senate.
Up to that point, it looked like Trump was ready to acquiesce to establishment Republicans’ pleas to not shut down the government and sign a temporary funding bill to punt the border wall fight into early February.
But Trump supporters erupted in fury at swamp Republicans trying to trick the President.
Republicans will hold less leverage in negotiations once Pelosi assumes the Speaker’s gavel.
Trump’s supporters pushed him to veto any bill that didn’t fund the wall and shut the government down.
And once Pelosi dared Republicans to pass wall-funding in the House, it was game on.
The GOP had to have the votes or risk complete humiliation.
And Republicans came through after Trump said he would not support any bill that did not contain wall-funding.
The GOP-led House passed a bill that provided Donald Trump with five billion dollars in wall funding.
Democrats in the Senate scrambled to filibuster the bill and took ownership of the government shutdown that ensued.
Trump crowed on social media about how he emerged victorious over Pelosi.
Soon to be Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, “last week live from the Oval Office, that the Republicans didn’t have the votes for Border Security. Today the House Republicans voted and won, 217-185. Nancy does not have to apologize. All I want is GREAT BORDER SECURITY!”
It quickly dawned on Pelosi that she bit off more than she could chew.
Pelosi figured Trump would fold in the face of a government shutdown like previous Republican Presidents.
But instead, Trump called Pelosi’s bluff and framed the standoff as the Democrats refusing to compromise and support funding for real border security.
We will keep you up to date on any new developments in this ongoing story.
