TRUMP HAS USED ONE OF HIS MOST POWERFUL TOOLS FOR THE FIRST TIME. WILL IT END THE SHUTDOWN
With no end in sight
to the partial US government shutdown, Donald Trump needed to shake things up.
So, he turned to his
favourite medium — television.
Most of America's
cable news networks have cut back on the President's tweets and rallies in
recent months. They've run smaller snippets of meandering press conferences or
surprise appearances.
But no one can ignore
a prime-time Oval Office address, particularly the first from this Commander In
Chief.
The broadcast put him
in the homes of the millions of Americans who don't constantly follow the
minute developments inside the Washington beltway.
Space to play or
pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume.
The Oval Office
is also a backdrop that projects power. It invokes memories of important
moments in the nation's history.
John F Kennedy used
it to try to calm fears during the Cuban missile crisis. It's where Richard
Nixon told the nation he was resigning and was the place George W Bush
announced his administration's response to the September 11 terrorist attacks.
But Mr Trump's
nine-minute address is unlikely to be remembered by the nation in quite the
same way.
Trump's speech struck
a different tone
His most loyal
supporters would have loved it. Indeed, some conservatives had called for it.
Good decision by President @realDonaldTrump to address the nation about the crisis at our southern border.
Great opportunity to explain to the American people why we need more border security funding.
The current situation at the border is indeed a national security crisis.
29.8K people are talking about this
At times, the solemn
and scripted speech softened some of the controversial rhetoric that's been
standard at his off-the-cuff campaign rallies in recent years.
He even briefly
acknowledged that thousands of migrant children have been "victims of our
broken system".
"This is an
humanitarian crisis. A crisis of the heart. A crisis of the soul," Mr
Trump said.
His overarching
message, however, was still the same: US national security depends on stopping
immigrants with a wall.
"How much more
American blood must we shed before Congress does its job?"
His special address
will be followed by a special visit on Thursday to the southern border. There,
he'll no doubt repeat his demands for Democrats to back down and deliver the
billions he wants for his border wall.
There's been
speculation — some of it seemingly stoked from inside the White House — that
the public events may just be a prelude to a national emergency declaration,
which could pave the way for the President to redirect money from the defence
budget towards building his border barrier.
Such a move would
presumably negate the need for the shutdown, allowing Congress to pass
bipartisan spending bills and get the Government back open after what may well
turn out to be the longest such budget crisis in history.
If the President went
down this path — and at this stage it's still a big if — it would be almost certain to face a legal challenge.
But even if he
doesn't ultimately get the wall, Mr Trump could say to his supporters he tried.
Democrats are unmoved
by 'the choice between right and wrong'
Positions on the wall
are entrenched.
After years of using
illegal immigration as a tool to bludgeon his opponents, including some inside
the Republican Party, those not already onboard with Mr Trump's policies view
his claims about border security with deep scepticism.
In recent days,
members of his administration have made false claims about the number of
terrorists entering the country.
There were some calls
to fact-check the speech live, and already the President's statistics and
assertions are under scrutiny, notably his claim that Mexico would indirectly
end up paying for the wall via a new trade deal.
FACT CHECK: Pres. Trump claims, without evidence, that Mexico will pay for border wall via trade deal. abcn.ws/2CVCuig
830 people are talking about this
Here's our fact-check of Trump's Oval Office speech.
For starters, most fentanyl comes to the US in packages mailed from China, not Mexico. (But heroin does flow through Mexico.) @tackettdc nyti.ms/2GZbF0M
Good decision by President @realDonaldTrump to address the nation about the crisis at our southern border.
Great opportunity to explain to the American people why we need more border security funding.
The current situation at the border is indeed a national security crisis.
Great opportunity to explain to the American people why we need more border security funding.
The current situation at the border is indeed a national security crisis.
FACT CHECK: Pres. Trump claims, without evidence, that Mexico will pay for border wall via trade deal. abcn.ws/2CVCuig
830 people are talking about this
Here's our fact-check of Trump's Oval Office speech.
For starters, most fentanyl comes to the US in packages mailed from China, not Mexico. (But heroin does flow through Mexico.) @tackettdc nyti.ms/2GZbF0M
Trump’s Speech to the Nation: Live Updates and Fact Checks
Fact check: Apprehensions of unaccompanied migrant children were up 21 percent from fiscal year 2017 to fiscal year 2018, and apprehensions of families travelling together was up 42 percent during the same period. nbcnews.to/2LWUE6p
Fact check: Apprehensions of unaccompanied migrant children were up 21 percent from fiscal year 2017 to fiscal year 2018, and apprehensions of families travelling together was up 42 percent during the same period. nbcnews.to/2LWUE6p
Fact check: Trump claims 'growing' crisis on southern border
Fact check: Trump claims 'growing' crisis on southern border
Concerned Mr Trump
would peddle mistruths, congressional Democrats demanded and were granted the
right of immediate rebuttal by several networks.
New Speaker of the
House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer laid out their case
in much the same way they have before, calling the wall "inefficient and
expensive".
"The symbol of
America should be the statue of liberty, not a 30-foot wall," Schumer
said.
Both sides see the
wall as more than a steel or concrete structure
Many Trump supporters
believe a physical barrier sends a strong, much-needed message of deterrence to
Latin American migrants — you're not welcome, so don't even try to come.
Even once the
shutdown saga is ultimately resolved, this debate is likely to continue right
up to the presidential election at the end of 2020.
About all buz up
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