At the White House, councilors and councilors are discouraged by a lost month

Recul

The previous evening, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told Trump that Republicans could no longer hold the line to support his demands. imminent law enforcement and airport problems, then reminded McConnell that he was ready to put an end to the stalemate.

counselors, including Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and his vice-president, Mike Pence. , presented him with options, including insisting on a "prorated" amount of money from the border wall included in a three-week transitional funding measure, or by declaring a national emergency. On Thursday, in the Cabinet Room, he repeatedly mentioned "alternative" means of funding the wall and offered his support for a "pro rata" amount of money. But Kushner and other aides have warned that a national emergency would spark legal challenges and would not lead to the immediate construction of a wall. And when Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer objected to a "down payment," it became clear that only a bill with no funding at the border would have enough support to be adopted.

New Political Reality

Trump hopes that some moderate Democrats will join him in supporting the financing of a border wall after the expiry of the funding measure in mid -February. Officials said he would be willing to accept less than the $ 5.7 billion he had insisted on trying to reach an agreement.

Acknowledging a new political reality with Pelosi at the helm, an advisor said that the only way forward for Trump is "compromise," with little room for flawless approach favored by such advisers as Stephen Miller, the leader of immigration.

"Today, it's not a cave but a grave for Stephen Miller's policies," said the councilor, recognizing that this was not the case. clear that Trump is ready to make this kind of course correction.

Obsessed with the Frontier Wall

During most of the closure, Trump remained singularly focused on the wall, refusing to move much and stating at regular intervals that he was alone in the White House, waiting to negotiate. The closure made the longest period of the Trump presidency that he was not playing golf. What had to be a three-week stay in his South Florida estate turned into a long stay at the White House.

During the holidays of December and January, he remained alone in the executive mansion while the first lady, Melania Trump, escaped Florida. He remembered looking out the window in a moment of loneliness to watch the "machine gunners" go around the White House grounds.

The last week of the closing, Trump's cabin fever was obvious. He began several meetings in the West Wing by sarcastically declaring "welcome to paradise," according to those present in the room.

By the time he was speaking from the Rose Garden on Friday, the president had exasperated that his bet had failed. The only redeeming factor: the announcement canceled the announcement of the arrest and indictment of his former confidant Roger Stone on the cable TV channel, even briefly.

A Lost Month

Publicly, the White House insisted that Trump's decision was not a concession. Almost all of his cabinet has gathered in the Rose Garden to applaud him when he announced a government reopening plan. And Trump himself was trying to dissuade his supporters from the idea that he had abandoned the quest for the wall in an evening tweet.

"I would like people to read or listen to my words on the wall of borders," he writes. "It was by no means a concession, it was to take care of millions of people seriously injured by the closure of the project, knowing that in 21 days, if no agreement is reached, the races are launched! "

Aside from optimism, many officials expressed their real regret that Trump actually lost a full month of his presidency in the fight against the wall, with little or no action. attention to non-border elements. By extending the battle for another three weeks, it's unclear whether Trump is interested in pursuing other domestic policy goals outside the border wall.

The Acting Chief of Staff, Mick Mulvaney, and other senior collaborators have tried to identify the issues that Trump wants to address once the border dispute is over: drug prices, trade, infrastructure, or something else. But they have made little progress. Trump is waiting to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un next month, but even these projects have been relegated to the border.

This is a bad omen for some conservatives and politicians, many of whom say they believe Trump does not appreciate how much his presidency is over.

According to people familiar with conversations, veterans of previous administrations tried to give it to him. There are still many in the White House, and others who advise Trump, feeling left to spend a whole month without showing anything.

Sour Mood

Two people who talk with Trump regularly stated that during the past week, the President had been in a very bad mood in the middle of the day. Closing episode – a state of mind that only worsened in the approach of Friday and he realized that he was losing the fight. Already a mercurial boss, Trump is attacking collaborators who, in his opinion, bear some responsibility in the quagmire.

Measuring Fallout

Some Republicans now worry about the fact that, even in the short term, the GOP's fundraising could suffer from the effervescence of its tactics. And Trump's assistants expect Trump's atmosphere to become even darker as he glimpses the negative coverage of his decision, including from the right.

Some collaborators hope that the end of the closure will finally lead to a happy development: a presidential trip south of Mar-a-Lago. "At least he can still play golf," sighed one of his staff.

There is currently no travel in the books.