Trump and the pressure of the shutdown: Walled in

Donald Trump plans to visit the Pentagon today to discuss one of his favorite topics: military rearmament. Specifically, new missiles that its generals want to order from the arms industry in the coming years are defense systems, satellites, and, and.

The appointment in the Ministry of Defense should be a welcome change and distraction for the President. Because the power struggle with the Democrats in the Congress for the wall, the shutdown and the Russian investigations paralyzed him, the country and the entire political operation to an extent that even the greatest black painters would have considered impossible until recently.

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To visit is a president who has walled himself. Donald Trump firmly adheres to his plan to build a gigantic border barrier to Mexico. He demands $ 5.7 billion from Congress. As long as he does not receive the money, the shutdown, the partial stoppage of government business, should continue according to Trump's will. 800,000 state employees are still waiting for their wages. An end to the crisis does not seem to be in sight.

The shutdown is now concrete

The effects are getting drastic. An extreme example: In Washington, meanwhile, a restaurant supplies government employees with free food, because some public servants have no more money for food.

Soon, the handling of passengers at the US airports could collapse. More and more employees of the TSA authority responsible for security checks remain at home. On US television, the first images of long lines at major hubs such as Atlanta make the rounds.

In addition to the anger about the shutdown, the president is also feeling the growing pressure in the Russian affair. In Washington there is speculation that special investigator Robert Mueller could present his final report in February. It is true that no one outside the Mueller team can predict with certainty what findings will be revealed. But Trump and his people in the White House are obviously already preparing for a gigantic political and legal defensive battle. An indication of this: Trump's legal advisory team should now consist of at least 17 lawyers.

Work for a "madman"

The Democrats are already increasing the pressure with their new majority in Congress: On 7 February, Trump's former lawyer and confidant Michael Cohen is scheduled to testify in front of the House of Representatives on the years of cooperation. First details of the statements seep through: Cohen will tell some "scary" things, it whispers loud "Wall Street Journal" from his environment. Trump's "Fixer" wants to describe what it means to work for a "madman".

Of course, the president continues to try to demonstrate serenity and sovereignty. But at the same time, almost daily details about Trump's true state of mind find their way into the public eye. The boss is boiling with anger.

So Trump is said to have recently in an internal meeting his new chief of staff Mick Mulvaney processed like a schoolboy, reports the news site Axios. "Stop talking, you screw everything up," Trump said.

The White House rarely leaves Trump these days. And if so, things get mixed up sometimes. Trump announced via Twitter that he was now flying to farmers in Nashville, Tennessee, for a brief trip to a convention hosted by US farmers. In fact, he was on his way to New Orleans in Louisiana.

The Democrats follow the confusion with a mixture of horror and Schadenfreue. Now it turns out that the new Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, is a master at outmaneuvering Trump.

Trump's most dangerous opponent

Pelosi meets the President where it hurts him most - in his vanity. With a cool letter, she practically canceled Trump's January 29 speech on the state of the nation in front of both houses of Congress. As a reason, she, the official hostess, claims security concerns. A preparation of the gigantic event does not make sense, since some involved security authorities are likewise affected by the Shutdown, so Pelosi.

REUTERS

Nancy Pelosi

Trump had probably planned to use the appearance, as in his recent TV address again to promote his wall plans. He may now consider whether to submit his speech in writing to Pelosi. Alternatively, he could also - as recently - speak from the White House to the nation. Whether all the major TV broadcasters once again provide him with precious air time remains questionable.

The population has already found their guilty party

Now Pelosi is clearly Trump's most dangerous opponent. She does not want to yield a millimeter in the fight over the wall - and the president is in a dilemma: If he gives in, it seems as if he has surrendered to Pelosi. But if he sticks to the wall and the shutdown, soon more and more American voters could blame him.

Four surveys from the past few days show that most Americans are already blaming the president for stagnation (between 47 and 56 percent). Only a minority (29 to 36 percent) blames the responsibility on the Democrats. If this trend solidifies, Trump would soon have no choice but to seek the compromise.

"Pelosi has set a trap for Trump," analyzes Trump-critical author David Frum. "He ran into the trap and now she's locked up behind him."