It's not a national emergency for Trump, it's a political one

[DonViejo]

First Read is your briefing from "Meet the Press" and the NBC Political Unit on the day's most important political stories and why they matter.

Feb. 15, 2019, 8:44 AM EST
By Chuck Todd, Mark Murray and Carrie Dann

WASHINGTON — Let’s be honest: The emergency that President Trump faces at the border isn’t a real national emergency — it’s a perceived political one.

And that’s why, after Congress passed a deal on Thursday that includes just $1.375 billion for fencing and barriers, the president is set to declare a national emergency and take executive action to secure the money to build his desired border wall, opening a Pandora’s Box and guaranteeing months and years of lawsuits over his action.

As we’ve written before, crime in America’s border cities is low (and has been low for years); apprehensions of undocumented immigrants also are on the decline; and most illegal drugs at the border cross at ports of entry – not in areas where there’s a wall or fence.

So why is Trump doing this? Because he just suffered his most significant legislative since the health-care fights of 2017, as he’s set to sign a spending deal that contains the SAME amount of money he was offered before the border battle began two months ago: $1.3 billion. And because he feels like his base won’t forgive him if he retreats on his wall.

But it also might be a political emergency that ONLY HE SEES. As NBC’s Benjy Sarlin tweets, it’s not like his base was abandoning him after he caved on the shutdown last month.

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https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/meet-the-press/it-s-not-national-emergency-trump-it-s-political-one-n971981?cid=public-rss_20190215