WSJ: Trump's Shutdown Threat is a 'Lose-the-House Strategy'

President Donald Trump’s threat to shutdown the government if he doesn’t get the money he wants for his border wall could cost Republicans the House in the upcoming midterm elections, according to The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board.

The board asked in an op-ed on Tuesday, "Does President Trump care if Republicans lose the House of Representatives this November? If that seems like an odd question, consider that Mr. Trump is running a campaign strategy that puts the House at maximum risk while focusing on the Senate. The latest evidence is Mr. Trump’s threat to shut down the government in September if he doesn’t get money for his border wall."

Trump issued the threat on Twitter Sunday, demanding that Democrats support a bill including funding for the wall. The board questions whether Trump consulted with his former strategist Stephen Bannon, writing, "the shutdown threat fits Mr. Bannon’s midterm election strategy, which is to stress issues that polarize the electorate to drive voter turnout among the Trump base."

The board then notes that "Trump may figure that shutdown pressure would force Senate incumbents running for re-election in Trump-leaning states into a corner on voting for the wall," however "what works in Senate races in Trump states might boomerang in House districts where the majority will be won or lost. These are swing districts where moderate Republicans and independents determine who wins."

They add that "Voters know Republicans control the Congress. While the polls typically show that voters blame both sides in a shutdown, the GOP risk is that they’d hold the party in power more responsible. This is all the more likely if President Trump is inviting a shutdown on Twitter."

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