Trump's Wall Shutdown Sets Table for a Risky 2020 Gamble
- Immigration fight, government shutdown a nod to voter base
- Move carries risks of keeping president’s appeal narrow
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President Donald Trump’s decision to force a government shutdown over his demand for border wall funding is part of an all-in bet that immigration is the singular issue that will keep his political base intact and carry him to re-election.
Trump won the White House in part by depicting the nation as beset by uncontrolled immigration that was the root of a complex set of problems, from lost jobs, to crime, to the opioid epidemic, that drove the economic and cultural grievances of his voters. Critics dismiss that portrayal as inaccurate and xenophobic, but it’s taken root.