Any window for Mr. Trump to govern from the center has long since closed. Attempting to pivot now will win him no new fans, and it will only alienate his most passionate supporters, depriving him of his biggest political asset just as the 2020 presidential election enters its preliminary stages.
There is no vow that defined Mr. Trump’s campaign more than his promise to build a border wall. If he is going to enter the campaign in the embarrassing position of not having fulfilled that pledge, at the very minimum he’s going to have to show that he exhausted every option at his disposal and fought for the wall tooth and nail. A high-profile government shutdown battle is a way to accomplish that.
Most likely, perhaps at some point after House Democrats take control, Mr. Trump will be forced to sign a bill without wall funding, as he will no longer have the votes for it in the House. Coming off a huge electoral victory, Democrats aren’t about to surrender and give Mr. Trump what would be the biggest victory of his presidency.
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