President Trump on Thursday showed his voters he’s willing to fight for them by insisting that Congress approve border wall funding, a move that could pay off during his re-election campaign in 2020.
“The fact that he’s fighting here today is huge,” said Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., on the same day Trump forced the House to approve a bill funding his border wall. “You can remember the Alamo in San Antonio. It’s not because they won there, it’s because they fought there. And if we’re willing to fight, a lot of people support the president and his willingness to fight.”
Buoyed by the House Freedom Caucus, which Meadows helms, Trump forced the House to include $5.7 billion in a spending deal Thursday night. While the bill is doomed in the Senate, Republicans say it was a pivotal moment for Trump that showed he’s willing to stick his neck out to keep his campaign promises.
“I think it’s a pretty important moment for him,” said Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla. “But he obviously wants to fight hard, and it doesn’t do us any good for us to send a bill to his desk that he’s not prepared to sign.”
Republicans think the president’s supporters will not abandon him as long as he fights hard, even if he fails to win wall funding in this round. While Democrats are blaming Trump for what seems to be an inevitable partial government shutdown this weekend, Republicans are pointing to Democrats who refuse to negotiate on the wall.
“He’s trying to get it done, and we’ve got to perform. So if you’re going to blame somebody, I guess you’d blame somebody who didn’t vote for the wall,” said Rep. Roger Williams, R-Texas. “He needs the votes.”
“He’s trying to do it,” Williams added. “He’s already said that he won’t sign a CR without wall funding … so he’s doing his part. He can’t vote. We’re the ones that vote.”
One Republican strategist said this week’s fight on the Hill will likely be forgotten soon and do little to harm Trump’s standing among his supporters, despite efforts by Democrats.
“Democrats have done nothing to demonstrate their ability to make something stick to this guy,” the strategist said. “They’ve not made anything stick to him thus far, so I’m not sure what makes anybody think they’re capable of doing it here.”
