To state the obvious, clearly Trump does not want a wall at the border.

[grantcart]

He wants a talking point.

With 17 investigations looking at his foundation, business, campaign and administration and a cascading river of breaking stories for the last several months Trump has set a record for losing consecutive news cycles so that even his most ardent supporters are left with doubt in their little dark souls.

He could have had a compromise on the wall, some wall for legalizing the DACA kids. It was agreed to but then someone, maybe Miller, said if you actually build a wall two things will happen 1) It won't really have any significant impact, especially on asylum seekers who are turning themselves in so that they can apply for asylum and 2) you won't have any issue to try and drag everyone away from the scandals as it turns out that Americans aren't really excited about trade wars, tariffs and all the other nonsense.

I expect that Trump will cave and then once again paint him as the greatest martyr since Jesus was nailed to a cross and simultaneously pat himself on the back for being "the bigger man" and continue to harp about the wall, which is his main objective.

I would love for Speaker Pelosi to hold hearings on the House on the question of border security and the wall and have all of the critics of the wall explain the real world failures of walls and invite Trump to make a statement and take questions from the committee. Of course, unlike Secretary Clinton who underwent a marathon grilling by a House committee Trump would make it a marathon negotiation and then ultimately not show even though his outsized ego will be whispering "go to Congress and show them how its done".

In any case Trump could have had a portion of the wall approved and signed but he really doesn't want it, he just wants to harangue about it.

[spanone]

1. Agreed. 👍🏼

[olegramps]

16. Yes, it is only a diversion. The kind of fools is desperate.

[Liberal In Texas]

2. That and he wants a "win"

The illusion of winning and being on top is very important for his ego. And he would like something to be able to brag about at his Nuremberg-style rallies.

[LakeSuperiorView]

3. Besides the distraction, he wants the fear and hate it represents.

He wants his base to fear and hate migrants, to keep their minds off how badly he is doing. The you can steal most of the cookies if you can convince people that a subclass it trying to steal their one cookie.

[Wellstone ruled]

4. Pretty much explains what

one of Donnie's games he is playing. Anything to distract people away from his Crime Syndicate and the Collapse of his Ponzi Scheme.

[bitterross]

5. You just KNOW Stephen Miller is in the midddle of this.

Miller is, no doubt, in the Oval Office telling Trump over and over again to not give in. That he can't give in because he's going to win.

This is not going to go well.

[grantcart]

7. Miller knows how to push his buttons

[Quemado]

6. If he wanted the wall, he would already have it.

He's been in office for almost two years.

[Tbear]

8. Correct on the Distraction

but what is he pointing away from?

Gifting Putin the Syria withdrawal. Changes the whole dynamic of the MiddleEast. This is what is really going on the whole shutdown is a BS misdirection.

[pecosbob]

9. This wall is clearly not a wall but a wedge

[world wide wally]

10. He definitely wants a wall...

He sees it as America's monument to Trump

[FakeNoose]

11. He'd prolly settle for a holographic 3D projection

... just so he can tell his base that he got it.

[world wide wally]

12. Or a big letter "T"

[1democracy]

13. o.k. here's a face saving compromise...with "concrete" and "wall"...

First, how much is left in what was already passed for border security, i.e. Mar 2018 allocation of 1.8 Billion? (=x amount remaining; note: accurate verified accounting report required). Tell Trump he can use up to X amount to repair any part of the currently existing concrete border wall out of already allocated money, in return for DACA path to citizenship. That should do it for the dealmaker in chief!

Using word "concrete" and "wall" should be enough!

[panader0]

14. trying to save face.

[suffragette]

15. Yes, and to start off the transfer of the House to Democrats in the most chaotic, reality show

environment possible.

He wants to be viewed as setting the agenda, when the true reality is that the Democratic leaders of the House have already been at work on the directions their committees will take.