Trump Report Card: Confusion over ‘bait and switch’ on DACA, the wall

Jed Babbin

President Trump began the week with a presidentially-solemn observance of the sixteenth anniversary of the 9-11 terrorist attacks. But in his speech, and in those of Vice President Pence and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, none of them mentioned Islamic terrorists as the perpetrators. And the week went downhill from there.

It was a week when the president seemed to take great pains to abandon the agenda he was elected to achieve.

Trump gave in to Russian and Chinese pressure in the U.N. while seeking yet another pointless round of sanctions against the North Korean regime of Kim Jong Un.

Still, North Korea shot another ICBM above Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido, resulting in no response from the administration. A delegation of South Korean politicians visited Washington to plea for the return of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons to their country. Notably absent was South Korean President Moon Jae-In, who is not in favor of returning them.

The Trump administration limited travel visas from four countries (Eritrea, Cambodia, Sierra Leone and Guinea) because they haven’t agreed to take back their citizens we deport.

After a White House dinner with the president, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi announced a deal with Trump to enshrine the Obama “Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals” (DACA) executive order in legislation. The president denied that a deal was reached but massive confusion reigns.

Is there a DACA deal? Does it include a path to citizenship for those who came or were brought here illegally? After denying there was a deal the president at the same time he variously Tweeted or said that border security would have to be included in such a deal and asked “does anybody want to throw out good and accomplished young people…” What enraged conservatives most was his seeming betrayal on his most oft-repeated promise from the campaign, the one that drew the most applause and cheers wherever Trump went: a wall across our southern border. Trump dismissed the idea saying a wall would come later. That’s the sort of bait-and-switch Congress is famous for. It typically promises spending cuts tomorrow in return for tax hikes today. And, of course, tomorrow never comes.

It was enough to have conservatives burning their “MAGA” hats and for “#AmnestyDon” to be trending on Twitter. Conservative provocateuse Ann Coulter wondered if anyone didn’t want to impeach Trump and one congressman to say that Trump’s base was now destroyed.

Trump once said that Americans would get tired of winning when he was president. Conservatives are wondering when he’ll get tired of selling them out.

Grade D-

John Zogby

Candidate Donald Trump promised many times during the 2016 campaign that he would not reveal his plans so as to not give away too much information to his enemies. Trump Corollary #1 is now to not reveal his plans to his own party as well.

Last week he bypassed a potentially damaging debate about hurricane aid and the debt limit by going where he knew he would get a necessary deal — the Democrats. This week he has done what even his predecessor was not able to do: strike a deal on the status of the “Dreamers” and support legislation on the matter. GOP leaders and rank and file are now scrambling to get on board with the deal — or hide somewhere where they cannot be seen.

Will this deal be consummated? If it is will Mr. Trump be able to play some more with Democrats on tax reform and infrastructure? He’s got us all guessing and that is one promise he seems to be fulfilling. As for his relationship with Democrats, we know that he at least likes one of them, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer who said so on a live microphone.

Grade B+

Jed Babbin is an Examiner contributor and former deputy undersecretary of defense in administration of former President George H.W. Bush. Follow him on Twitter @jedbabbin

John Zogby is the founder of the Zogby Poll and senior partner at John Zogby Strategies. His latest book is and author of We are Many, We are One: Neo-Tribes and Tribal Analytics in 21st Century America. Follow him on Twitter @TheJohnZogby

Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected]