Now wrapped in the rhetoric of a 'humanitarian crisis,' his product still isn't selling-And he know

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https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna956526#referrer=https://www.google.com&amp_tf=From%20%251$s?cid=referral_taboolafeedTrump Effect


Trump's Oval Office address shows he's hit a wall on the border wall
Analysis: Now wrapped in the rhetoric of a 'humanitarian crisis,' his product still isn't selling. And he knows it.



Jan. 8, 2019, 11:27 PM ET / Updated Jan. 9, 2019, 5:30 AM ET


By Jonathan Allen

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has hit a wall.

That is, his border wall isn't selling — and he appears to know it.

He didn't get Mexico to pay for it. Congress won't cough up the cash, either. The partial government shutdown he said he'd be "proud" to own in the name of forcing Democrats to capitulate on the barrier is well into its third week. And with a handful of Republicans starting to break ranks publicly, Democratic leaders have shown no signs of backing down.

Except for a cosmetic change — Trump said he'll accept a steel barrier instead of a concrete wall — the president hasn't tinkered with the product he's marketing. But on Tuesday, in his first address from the Oval Office, he wrapped it in a rhetorical shroud that he's been using recently in lower-profile settings: now, in his estimation, the wall is needed because of the "humanitarian" crisis at the border.

"Women and children are the biggest victims by far of our broken system," Trump said. "This is the tragic reality of illegal immigration on our southern border. This is the cycle of human suffering that I am determined to end."

But for years — and even at moments in his Tuesday night address — Trump has portrayed immigrants as a scourge on American society. Usually, he makes the distinction that he is talking about undocumented immigrants, and some — who he's dubbed murderers, rapists and animals — but not all of them.

That argument was the centerpiece of his 2016 presidential campaign, his barnstorming tour of the nation on behalf of Republican candidates before last November's midterm elections and his remarks from the Oval Office Tuesday night.

"Over the years, thousands of Americans have been brutally killed by those who illegally entered our country and thousands more lives will be lost if we don't act right now," he said. "This is a humanitarian crisis, a crisis of the heart and a crisis of the soul."

Fact-checking Trump's address to the nation: President claims 'growing' crisis on southern border

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[Renew Deal]

1. You can tell it's not working because he's changing language and rationale every day