Democrats have gone down to Puerto Rico to hang out with lobbyists while the government is shut down.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is on television calling for abolishing the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office.
The President now has an opening to win this shutdown fight in a way he previously did not. It is time to hit the campaign trail.
The President can start going into swing districts the Democrats just won and pointing out the Democrats went to the beach while he was trying to reopen the government and the face of the Democrats wants to abolish ICE.
President Trump has largely been off the campaign trail and in Washington because of the shutdown. He had not wanted to go out. But now he needs to hit the campaign trail. He can legitimately say he was going to stay in DC and even gave up Christmas in Florida. But now the Democrats are out saying we need to abolish ICE and they’ve decided to take a beach vacation during the shutdown.
President Trump needs to get out and make the case. He needs to make the case that Democrats have previously voted for what he is proposing. He needs to make the case that his $5 billion is not just for a wall, but for more border patrol agents, more ICE agents, more immigration judges, improvements to facilities for people seeking asylum.
President Trump needs to go into these swing districts and do local news interviews. The national press is completely in the tank for the Democrats. Local reporters are not. The President can, in person or via satellite, do in-person interviews with local reporters in local areas. Go into the Pittsburgh area. Tell the local reporters how many illegal immigrants are in the area and that the newly elected Democrat from that area is opposed to securing the border.
Crisscross the country and tell Americans that the President would have stayed in Washington, but the Democrats went to the beach and he wants the public to hear from him. Attack the national press for carrying water for the Democrats on the issue and contrast their attitude to the attitude of local reporters.
President Trump can win this shutdown fight. He just needs to get into campaign mode. He wants reasonable funding to secure the border, hire more border agents, and hire more immigration judges. Democrats have gone to the beach and want to end immigration enforcement altogether.
Campaign Mr. President. You can put the Democrats on defense. You need to.
