‘If he gives in now, that’s the end’

WASHINGTON — With the government shutdown, President Donald Trump has put himself in an impossible position.

He’s tied his support for a solution entirely to securing billions of dollars to build a wall on the Mexican border.

House Democrats say that’s a total non-starter. Meanwhile Trump has rejected compromise deals and temporary solutions, some negotiated by his own allies. He’s dug in so hard, he’s left no wiggle room for himself.

During Wednesday’s White House meeting, Trump acknowledged as much, telling congressional leaders that reopening the government without securing wall funds would make him look “foolish.”

But it goes even deeper than that. Consider Sen. Lindsey Graham’s, R-S.C., description of Trump’s conundrum during an interview with Fox’s Sean Hannity on Wednesday:

“If he gives in now, that’s the end of 2019 in terms of him being an effective president,” Graham said. “That’s probably the end of his presidency. Donald Trump has made a promise to the American people: He’s going to secure our border.”

Trump built his presidential candidacy on ending illegal immigration, an issue he tied to all sorts of problems, from crime to unemployment to drugs. The wall is the very essence of his presidency. Without it, as Graham basically said, what is left?