The art of Trump's negotiating style: Public, tough, unprecedented: Varney
Hard line Trump: On full display!
1) Fund the wall, or the government shuts down.
2) China: Make a trade deal in 90 days or face huge tariffs that will really hurt your already hurting economy.
This is how this president negotiates: Tell them what you're going to do if you don't get what you want. We're not used to it. The rest of the world is not used to it. Previous presidents may have taken a tough line, but not so publicly. And, actually, not so tough.
But will the Trump style work? We simply don't know. But the hard line has clearly had impact.
The president came right out with it in his interview with Fox News' Harris Faulkner: China's economy is in trouble because of me, he said. And China is in trouble: Today they are reporting a sharp slowdown. And, they have lowered the tariffs they charge on our cars going over there.
We don't know whether his threat to shut the government will actually produce $5 billion for the wall, but it’s certainly put his opponents in a bind: How would they stop the illegal flow? The Trump hard line will force an answer!
The president understands where America is coming from. He knows the country wants a solution to the endless border problem. And he knows the country is fed up with China. Remember, it’s the art of the deal. He may get a little less than he wants. The language of a deal may be fudged: What's a wall and what is border security? But the hard line is the only line that will get us anywhere.