President Trump Threatens To Declare National Emergency To Build The Border Wall

It was a pretty good day for the Trump administration.

The December jobs report showed the economy was surging. The DC appeals court sided with Trump on banning transsexuals from the military. Finally, President Trump mused about the government shutdown continuing for years and floated the possibility of declaring a national emergency to use Pentagon funds to build the border wall:

“WASHINGTON — President Trump raised the possibility on Friday of declaring a national emergency to allow him to build a wall along the southwest border without congressional approval, hours after Department of Homeland Security officials requested additional support to erect temporary barriers between the United States and Mexico.

Mr. Trump’s comments followed a contentious meeting with Democratic leaders at the White House. It failed to produce a deal to end the two-week partial shutdown of the federal government, a funding lapse that began with the president’s insistence that Congress allocate $5.6 billion for the wall.

“We can call a national emergency and build it very quickly,” Mr. Trump told reporters in the Rose Garden when asked about an emergency declaration. …”

It is a better idea than trading a DACA amnesty for 150 miles of border wall.

This could all be just another round of failure theater. Alternatively, Trump might understand the political stakes of being defeated by Schumer and Pelosi on his signature campaign promise.