President Donald Trump defender Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) offered a bleak prediction earlier this month if Trump were to give in to Democrats on the government shutdown and his border wall. “That’s probably the end of his presidency,” Graham declared to Sean Hannity on Fox News.
“He’s not going to sign a bill that doesn’t have money for the wall,” Graham vowed on Jan. 2, just over a week into the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.
“I’ll tell you exactly how this is going to end. The president is going to challenge the Democrats to compromise, and if they continue to say no, they’re going to pay a price with the American people. ... If he gives in now, that’s the end of 2019 in terms of him being an effective president. That’s probably the end of his presidency.”
Trump’s agreement Friday to reopen the government in exchange for $0 for his wall isn’t the end of negotiations, but he appears to have little left to bargain with in a face-off with empowered Democrats. He failed to win an allocation for his wall last year when the GOP was in charge of both the Senate and the House. Trump tweeted defensively Saturday morning that his decision “was in no way a concession.”
Graham tried to put the best spin on the latest development. He called it the “last best chance to take a major step toward fixing broken borders,” adding: “Thank you Mr. President.”
Twitter reminded Graham of his prediction — and that the president gained no new ground with the shutdown.
