Trump Cancels Pelosi Overseas Trip Hour Before Takeoff

WASHINGTON, D.C. – If you want to play games with President Donald Trump, you’d better be prepared for battle. That’s what Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) learned Thursday. After she immaturely uninvited the president from giving the State of the Union address from the U.S. House chamber later this month, citing lack of security because of the government shutdown, Trump demonstrated he can play that game too, and better than her.

Less than 48 hours after Trump was informed by Pelosi that he could not give the State of the Union address, Trump canceled her long-planned, tax funded trip to Brussels, Egypt, and Afghanistan on the very afternoon she was supposed to take off.

In the letter Trump wrote to Pelosi, he told her they could reschedule the trip after the shutdown was ended and let her know it’d be better for her to be in Washington, anyhow, at the negotiating table to resolve border security funding disputes. Adding insult to injury, Trump ler the Speaker know that if she wanted to fly commercial, that was her ‘prerogative.’

“Due to the Shutdown, I am sorry to inform you that your trip to Brussels, Egypt, and Afghanistan has been postponed. We will reschedule this seven-day excursion when the Shutdown is over. In light of the 800,000 great American workers not receiving pay, I am sure you would agree that postponing this public relations event is totally appropriate. I also feel that, during this period, it would be better if you were in Washington negotiating with me and joining the Strong Border Security movement to end the Shutdown. Obviously, if you would like to make your journey by flying commercial, that would certainly be your prerogative.

I look forward to seeing you soon and even more forward to watching our open and dangerous Southern Border finally receive the attention, funding, and security it so desperately deserves!

Sincerely,

Donald J. Trump”

Her bags were packed, she was likely at the airport, and suddenly she wasn’t going anywhere. Some will complain that this back and forth is juvenile, childish, but to be sure the rules of this particular game were established by Pelosi and the Democrats. After all, they refuse to negotiate in good faith on border security, they cancel his address to the people of this country purely out of spite, and their only interest seems to be opposing Trump no matter what. That is evident in the fact that Democrsts are on record supporting the very border security funding he is asking for. In the end, they have again underestimated the skill of Trump in battles of this nature.

After the news broke of Pelosi’s trip being canceled, the administration also announced it would be canceling its own overseas trip to Davos for the World Economic Forum, again citing the shutdown.

The back and forth may be entertaining, but some lawmakers point out that canceling such trips is appropriate considering the need to resolve the border security issue and end the shutdown. While Democrats were partying in Puerto Rico, Republicans and the president stood by ready to end it all.

Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) framed it well in a tweet:

First it was Hawaii. Then it was Puerto Rico. Then it was using military aircraft to fly overseas… all while the government is shut down.

Bravo to POTUS. The Speaker (and all members) should stay in Washington until Democrats can compromise and secure our southern border. https://t.co/XQE1lJ2qmc

— Mark Meadows (@RepMarkMeadows) January 17, 2019

That may make too much sense for Democratic leadership to acquiesce to, but Meadows is absolutely correct. Democrats champion compromise a lot when that compromise entails Republicans folding like a cheap suit to the Left’s objectives (Thom Tillis, anyone?), but when the shoe is on the other foot they abandon that high ideal of compromise.

We, as conservatives, can certainly understand being unwilling to give an inch when it comes to principles, but this is not about principles; it’s about politics.

Unfortunately, the shutdown showdown will go on for the foreseeable future, because the Swamp has a way of turning even the most simple problems into unsolvable impasses.