Trump, GOP’s Gleeful Shutdown Pivot Undercuts Earlier Messaging

President Donald Trump and some congressional Republicans’ embrace of the opportunities provided by a shutdown runs the risk of undermining the party’s own shutdown messaging.

In the days leading up to the deadline, Republicans went to great lengths to blame Democrats for the then-pending shutdown, while frequently adding how desperately they wanted to avoid that outcome. However, in the last 24 hours, some Republicans — led by Trump himself — have started openly celebrating the partial closure as a prime opportunity for the administration to shrink the federal workforce.

Trump posted on his TruthSocial account Thursday that he is meeting ...