INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
indicated Tuesday he will climb down over his threat to shut the government even if he doesn't get all the money he has demanded for
building walls along the US-Mexican border.Although Trump left enough wiggle room to keep the country guessing, he appeared to be edging
toward accepting a deal struck in Congress that would give him significantly less money for the wall."I can't say I'm happy, I can't say I'm
But he also told a cabinet meeting in the White House: "I don't think you're going to see a shutdown."He was responding to a deal struck by
Republican and Democratic lawmakers to offer nearly $1.4 billion for wall construction, as well as other border security measures.This was
far less than the $5.7 billion Trump wanted, but it was presented as a workable deal to satisfy both sides and allow Trump to shelve his
threat to shut down swaths of government on Friday
Trump said he would manage to "add" to the congressional funds, though he did not explain how.Lawmakers, including from his own Republican
Party, pressured Trump to take what was on the table.Senator Richard Shelby, the top Republican negotiator, called it "a pretty good
deal."Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy said the compromise would be voted on and likely passed, ready for Trump's signature."The deal is the
way it's going to be written, and it will be filed, I suspect, tomorrow night," he said.Border disputeThe funds would finance 55 miles (88.5
kilometers) of new walls along the border.Hundreds of miles of barriers already run along the US-Mexican border but Trump says far more are
needed to bring what he often calls an "invasion" of migrant criminals under control
Democrats say Trump vastly exaggerates the crime problem and uses the issue to whip up his right-wing voter base.In December, Trump tried to
pressure Congress into approving the $5.7 billion by refusing to sign off on funding swaths of government that have nothing to do with the
wall, putting 800,000 jobs, from FBI agents to airport security, on hold for five weeks.The Democrats refused to budge and Trump was forced
into an embarrassing retreat, allowing new negotiations to open with a new deadline of this Friday.This time Republicans appear desperate to
avoid a second shutdown, leaving Trump with less political cover.Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the compromise deal
was "certainly good news."Election ployAlthough there's little doubt that organized Mexican drug crime and people smugglers present a threat
along the US border, Trump's fixation on wall building has polarized Americans to the point where the left and right can barely discuss the
issue.For Trump, chants of "build the wall" were crucial to his surprise 2016 election victory
At a rally in El Paso, Texas, on Monday he introduced a new slogan for his coming 2020 reelection bid: "Finish the wall."The thousands of
devoted Trump fans, many of them wearing his red "Make America great again" campaign hats, cheered at the dire warnings about Mexican
criminals and calls for bigger and longer walls."Walls save lives, walls save tremendous numbers of lives," Trump told them.There was a
counter-message a short distance from where Trump spoke when rising Democratic star Beto O'Rourke -- a possible challenger in 2020 -- held
his own rally.A former congressman who excited grassroots Democrats last November with an against-the-odds near upset of Republican Senator
Ted Cruz, O'Rourke is from El Paso."Tonight, we will meet lies and hate with the truth and a positive, inclusive, ambitious vision for the
future from the US-Mexico border," he said.Trump dismissed O'Rourke as "a young man who's got very little going for himself except he's got
a great first name."Making fun of what he said was O'Rourke's much smaller crowd, Trump said: "That may be the end of his presidential
bid."(This story has not been edited by TheIndianSubcontinent staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
