US shutdown ends
The longest government shutdown in US history has come to an end after five weeks. Now Republicans and Democrats have three weeks to reach an agreement in the dispute over a wall on the Mexican border. President Trump insists that 5.7 billion dollars for the border wall must come from the budget. The Democrats reject this. Who will win?
Stage win for Nancy Pelosi
Opposition leader Nancy Pelosi has scored an important victory, columnist Gerardo Morina writes in Corriere del Ticino:
“[Trump was] defeated by the combativeness and tenacity of a 78-year-old liberal like Nancy Pelosi, who is bound and determined to bring her party back at the centre of events after its success in the midterm elections. That puts the score at 1:0 for Pelosi, who with a 39 percent approval rating is currently two points ahead of Trump. He, meanwhile, seems anything but ready to give up on his plan - with or without the support of Congress. First, however, he needs to limit the damage that his defeat has caused, namely the division within the Republican Party. His priority now must be to overcome this rift and put together a credible plan for his 2020 election campaign.”
President will still be tough to beat
It would be rash to rate the end of the shutdown as a crushing defeat for Trump, The Independent warns:
“The president's defeat ought to be embarrassing for him, but if we know one thing about Mr Trump it is that embarrassment is not something he experiences - and his supporters will probably believe that he has won a famous victory. Mr Trump remains a formidable candidate to beat in the 2020 election. But Ms Pelosi has shown that, with strong leadership, resolute on national security, he can be beaten.”
Trump has lost a battle but not the war
The US president has suffered a painful but temporary defeat at the hands of the Democrats, Dennik N also concludes:
“Polls show that most Americans blame the president for the collapse of the public sector. And even if the hard core of his supporters still backs him it won't be enough for Trump to win the next elections and stay in office. ... But the struggle isn't over yet. According to CNN Trump is preparing to secure the money for the wall on the Mexican border in a way that Congress doesn't have to approve. If he succeeds he could still be seen by the voters as a person who keeps a cool head and - unlike the Democrats - spares the people further difficulties.”
Threat of recession made Trump back down
Only the economy could bring the US president to his senses, Newsweek Polska comments:
“Unfortunately the US president has become hostage to a radical minority and right-wing media that are creating an alternative reality. He doesn't care about the fate of the civil servants: the only thing that frightens him is the threat of recession. And a recession is exactly what is bearing down on the country. The drop in consumer spending among 800,000 public servants and the repercussions for the retail and service sectors has had a domino effect. Airline companies, real estate firms, banks, telecommunication companies and the restaurant trade are all losing money.”