We’re Not In The Habit Of Picking Trump’s Tweets Apart But This One Is Particularly Perplexing…
Either because it’s a complete lie (while at the same time refutes a previous lie—more on that in a sec), or there’s been something going on we don’t know about. Which is unlikely, since any “DACA for Wall” deal would have to involve Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who’s not known for keeping his mouth shut.
So let’s review “where we are today” and how we got there:
The 9th Circuit didn’t rule on DACA until November. (And it is now headed for the Supreme Court). The “DACA for Wall” deal we know about was on the table months before that. According to the New York Times, Trump initially accepted that deal with Democrats, then took it back to his guys in the White House, who talked him out of it, arguing he should go back and get more. So it was Trump who turned down that first, “clean” version, not Democrats. They only took it off the table after he loaded it up with tons of additional requirements.
Also, there was a preliminary injunction that set the stage for the 9th Circuit decision. That was in January. But that came before Democrats offered Trump a reported $25-billion toward the wall (far more than the President’s asking for now), not after. So Chuck Schumer, at least, was willing to talk to Trump about a DACA deal even after a court ruled it should not immediately be killed.
In fact, we were very critical of that potential deal at the time. Because we didn’t understand why Democrats would be willing to give in to the President in order to help solve a crisis that was entirely of Trump’s making. Because after all, it was his then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions who almost gleefully moved to cancel DACA protections.
DACA, of course, is an Obama-era program that allows undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children to remain in the country indefinitely. It does not provide a path to citizenship.
Another puzzling thing about Trump’s Tweet is that the White House has categorically denied there ever was any “DACA for Wall” deal on the table. At the time, a White House spokesperson told Fox News the offer “never existed”. Trump’s Tweet therefore confirms that there actually was a “DACA for Wall” deal being discussed at some time. Once again seemingly inadvertently confirming something he or his people have previously denied. (This always reminds us of Judge Judy, who says if you tell the truth you don’t need to remember what the story is you told.)
What is also increasingly clear from this Tweet, is how not consummating the “DACA for wall” deal is eating at Trump. As we suggested would happen at the time he turned it down, it seems like it’s become one of the President’s biggest regrets.