US shutdown Day 18: Donald Trump plans prime time TV speech on 'border crisis'; news networks debating whether to give airtime

New York: Donald Trump is plotting a prime time television distraction Tuesday night 9 pm EST from the Oval Office to justify his $ 5 billion demand for a border wall and what he describes as a “humanitarian and national security crisis” on the US-Mexico border after his White House claimed falsely that 4,000 terrorists have entered America from there. Donald Trump has set the terms of the debate and he insists he may declare a “national emergency” and build a wall along the southern border bypassing US Congress. Until late evening EST, more than four hours since Trump announced his “national address” plans, ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS and even Trump mouthpiece Fox broadcast network have not committed to airtime for the US president who calls most mainstream media “fake news”. [caption id=“attachment_5587331” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] US president Donald Trump answers reporters’ questions at the White House. AP[/caption] Trump critics posted messages on social media urging networks not to air an address that could be filled with falsehoods and be used to rile his base under the guise of being a “national address” On the the face of it, it’s Trump using owned media to make a political pitch but given the context of the current time, it’s more than that: It’s Trump forcing a test of political power in divided government. He want’s to see if he can drive Democrats to breaking point on his border wall demand; his television stunt and what follows will set the stage for how politics will be played for the rest of 2019. Trump has already flung a chunk of red meat out there for us all to chew on - could he declare an emergency, sidestep the Congress and build the wall? If he does follow through, this will end up in more litigation and investigations for the White House to deal with. Already, the wheels of the Mueller probe are gathering speed once again after a Christmas and New Year lull. Can Trump really declare an emergency based on a fallacy? “It’d be wrong, horrible policy. … He’d be challenged in court … It’s a terrible idea, but he can do it”, say US lawmakers.

“Trying to negotiate with this president is like trying to negotiate with a third grader”, say Congress members fuming over the impasse. Donald Trump is walking his government off a cliff, it’s Day 18 of the US government shutdown with 800,000 workers not getting paid and the US president will transport himself to the US Mexico border while claiming that there’s a “higher purpose” to this manufactured crisis and that unpaid workers will “make adjustments” and live with it. For workers on the receiving end of Trump’s megaphone who may not get their cheques on the next payday 11 January, the bills are coming due, money is running out. They don’t agree with Trump’s view that workers will “make adjustments”. Some break down on live television, some tell their stories to newspaper reporters who come with questions on their human and financial condition but nothing is moving the needle on Donald Trump’s parallel reality - his $5 billion demand to build a wall along the southern border. At last count, eight government departments are shut since 25 December 2018, 420,000 federal workers are working without pay, 380,000 have been forced to go on leave. So, how does this thing end? Why should it end, Trump seems to say, without saying it. He claims there’s a national crisis at the US border while 800,000 workers inside his borders, in his government offices haven’t got their pay since the Christmas holidays. Meet one crisis with another, bigger one and ride out the remaining time till 2020 when another election comes around is the game right now. The White House is now claiming that thousands of terrorists are streaming through its southern border, hoping to whip up the most loyal Trump voters in the most right wing states - his ticket to the White House back in 2016. There’s a lot of predictable news coverage on how the partial government shutdown is spotlighting the limitations of President Donald Trump’s erratic negotiating style. That only applies if Trump is negotiating but he isn’t and neither is he allowing anyone else to negotiate on his behalf. He threatens everyone with his veto power but is unwilling to clarify what he will sign. A wall won’t pay the rent for 800,000 workers and whether the White House will cave will be clearer on the next payday 11 January. Most federal workers are paid biweekly. Before crunch time arrives, Trump will deliver his bully pulpit speech which will most likely be another rambling, freestyle attempt to boost himself. “The safety net is going to be having a strong border, because we’re going to be safe. … I really believe that these people — many of the people that we’re talking about, many of the people you’re discussing — I really believe that they agree with what we’re doing”, he has already said on behalf of unpaid workers. In a bizarre Rose Garden appearance, Trump said much of the wall had been built, though it hasn’t. He said Mexico would pay for the wall through a new trade deal, though there are no such terms in the still-unratified deal. He wrongly claimed that he’d never called for the wall to be concrete. And he claimed, without evidence, that some ex-presidents had told him to push for the wall. “I won’t be able to pay my bills”, says Lila Johnson, a janitor and federal contract employee. Nora Brooks, a 61-year-old IRS customer service representative in Philadelphia, is furloughed and “worrying about whether she’ll need to seek a second job,” AP reports. Chris Erickson, a federal contractor and father of three from Salt Lake City, will likely postpone a 14th wedding anniversary trip with his wife to a cabin. These folks don’t care about Trump’s agenda, they just want their pay cheques but until they take to the streets, it will be Trump’s word against their silence as the myth of the “wall” hardens itself and drives a deeper wedge among Americans.