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Since March 1, Trump has said he would happily lead the government into a partial shutdown if lawmakers don’t approve the money he wants for the wall.
Earlier this year, Trump grew furious on several mornings when he saw news coverage of a giant spending bill, which was heavily criticized by conservatives for being bloated and stuffed with liberal priorities.
“They are crushing me,” Trump told aides, referring to what conservatives on Fox News were saying about him.
So Marc Short, then the White House director of legislative affairs, brought the president a list of what the spending package did for Trump’s agenda, according to administration officials. Trump calmed down upon learning more about what was in the bill but told aides that he wanted people to be backing him up on television.
Short repeatedly told lawmakers that they needed to get people on TV if they wanted Trump to support the bill — and that it was key to him signing the legislation.
