The U.S. Capitol Building Dome is seen through a beveled window at the Library of Congress in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2018. President Donald Trump this week appears likely to pass up his last, best chance to secure funding for the 鈥渂eautiful鈥� wall he鈥檚 long promised to construct along the U.S.-Mexico border. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
WASHINGTON 鈥� Donald Trump鈥檚 loyal supporters cried 鈥滲uild the wall!鈥� throughout his 2016 presidential campaign.
Come 2020, they may well still be chanting for Trump to make good on his signature campaign promise as prospects dim for him to deliver on a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Trump appears likely to give up his last, best chance to secure money from Congress for the 鈥渂eautiful鈥� wall he鈥檚 long promised to construct, as he backs away from his threat to partially shut down the government on Friday.
Now, with the Senate having passed a temporary funding measure to keep the government open through Feb. 8, Trump鈥檚 mission will go from difficult to near-impossible when Democrats take control of the House on Jan. 3.
The unfulfilled pledge also threatens to hang over his re-election campaign, potentially depressing his base and dealing his political rivals a powerful talking point.
鈥淚 thought if you鈥檙e going to have a fight, now鈥檚 the time to have it,鈥� said Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close ally of the president who warned that it鈥檚 only going to get more difficult to get the money when Democrats take over.
鈥淲hen you draw lines in the sand like this, it ends up haunting you in the future,鈥� the South Carolina Republican warned.
Rep. Mark Meadows, Republican-North Carolina, called on Trump to veto the temporary funding bill, warning that it would cause 鈥渕ajor damage鈥� to the president鈥檚 re-election effort.
鈥淭he base will just go crazy,鈥� he said, referring to Trump鈥檚 most loyal backers.
Trump is hardly the first president to be confronted with the challenges of passing a legislative priority through Congress, but the lack of progress on an issue so closely identified with his bid for the White House may prove to be a costly failure.
He had promised to begin working on an 鈥渋mpenetrable physical wall鈥� along the southern border on his first day in office, but little headway has been made.
A March funding bill included money for 33 miles (53 kilometers) of barrier construction in South Texas鈥� Rio Grande Valley, but work there has yet to begin.
Other work has merely replaced existing barriers that had been deemed 鈥渋neffective,鈥� not added miles.
The president鈥檚 allies expressed anxiety Wednesday that Trump was, in the words of some, 鈥渃aving鈥� on the wall and warned of the potential backlash from his supporters and the impact it could have on his re-election effort.
The failed promise, they argued, could weaken turnout and leave him more vulnerable to challengers.
Conservative commentator Ann Coulter published a column that called Trump 鈥済utless鈥� and said in a radio interview that she won鈥檛 vote for Trump in 2020 if he doesn鈥檛 deliver on the wall.
鈥淣or will, I think, most of his supporters. Why would you?鈥� she asked, arguing that Trump鈥檚 time in office will one day go down as 鈥渁 joke presidency that scammed the American people.鈥�
Some within the administration cautioned that it was still possible Trump would change his mind and end up rejecting the stopgap funding bill, prompting a holiday shutdown that could also be politically damaging. Trump had said last week that he would be 鈥減roud鈥� to have a shutdown to get Congress to approve a down payment on the wall.
Trump had originally demanded $5 billion to begin building the wall this year, but the White House acknowledged this week that he is willing to settle for far less. The temporary measure offers just $1.3 billion for border security fencing and other improvements. That money cannot be used for new wall construction.
The president had little choice. Even in the GOP-controlled House, Trump did not have the votes to get $5 billion in wall money, and House Speaker Paul Ryan declined to bring it to the floor.
The White House is instead putting its faith in a potential work-around, with Trump telling allies he鈥檒l be able to make an end-run around lawmakers by using the military to fund and carry out construction, though such a move would face significant pushback from Congress as well as legal challenges.
鈥淏ecause of the tremendous dangers at the Border, including large scale criminal and drug inflow, the United States Military will build the Wall!鈥� he tweeted Wednesday.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Tuesday that the president had also directed every one of his Cabinet secretaries 鈥渢o look and see if they have money that can be used鈥� for wall construction.
But Rep. Adam Smith, Democrat-Washington, the incoming chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, told MSNBC that there has been strong opposition to using Defense Department dollars for border wall construction. And he said that Trump can鈥檛 do so without lawmakers鈥� signoff.
鈥淐ongress, both Republicans and Democrats, do not think the DoD money should go towards building a wall on the border,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e have many other national security priorities that are vastly more important.鈥�
The president鈥檚 conservative backers insist that Trump should not back down from his demand for $5 billion from Congress.
鈥淭rump should not sign this bill and leave for Mar-a-Lago, and tell them it鈥檚 not gonna get signed and their precious government鈥檚 not gonna get back up and running 鈥檛il there鈥檚 $5 billion,鈥� wrote radio host Rush Limbaugh.
On 鈥淔ox & Friends,鈥� Trump鈥檚 favorite and most-tweeted-about morning show, conservative blogger Michelle Malkin described his latest move as a 鈥渃ave鈥� and a 鈥渂link.鈥�
Questioning White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, 鈥淔ox & Friends鈥� host Brian Kilmeade said the president has 鈥渘o leverage,鈥� while co-host Ainsley Earhardt asked why Trump was 鈥渟oftening鈥� his position.
鈥淭he president is not softening his stance. He has a responsibility to keep the government moving forward and he has a responsibility to get border security,鈥� Conway responded.
Former Trump campaign adviser Barry Bennett said it was too soon to panic.
鈥淗e must have a trick up his sleeve because I can鈥檛 imagine he would just walk away from it,鈥� Bennett said.
Former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich said that while the base would be 鈥渦nhappy鈥� if border wall funding isn鈥檛 included in a final budget deal, it will make little difference come 2020.
鈥淭he other side doesn鈥檛 even need a border. Their party will be so pro-illegal immigration that the choice will be enormous,鈥� he said. /atm