Washington sources reported that US President Donald Trump, who famously vowed to negotiate big deals in the White House, came out of a government shutdown battle on Friday politically wounded and outmaneuvered by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Meanwhile with Americans exasperated over the 35 day shutdown's impact on everyday life, including air travel, Trump finally gave in and agreed to reopen the government until Feb 15, without getting the $5.7 billion he had demanded a border wall.
Furthermore a senior administration official said in a speech in the Rose Garden, he did not admit to backing down. But behind the scenes at the White House, there was recognition that he had lost this round. Perhaps he lost the short term battle. Recently on Thursday night, Vice President Mike Pence and senior adviser Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law, presented Trump with four options, including declaring a national emergency right away, which would let him fund the building of border a wall without congressional approval but guaranteeing a court challenge.
Moreover on Friday morning, an air of uncertainty hung over the White House as Trump pondered. Further aides prepared the Rose Garden event without knowing for sure what he would say.
