MSNBC host says the US is facing another government shutdown because right-wing media 'scared' Trump
- MSNBC host Ari Melber suggested President Donald Trump dove head-first into a government shutdown because he "got scared" amid pressure from high-profile conservative personalities.
- Conservative-leaning personalities have widely excoriated Trump in recent weeks for failing to deliver on his promise to build a wall on the US-Mexico border.
- Melber's remarks come amid a partial government shut down on Friday, after Trump's $5 billion demand in federal funding for the wall is expected to fall short of enough Senate votes.
MSNBC host Ari Melber suggested President Donald Trump dove head-first into a government shutdown because he "got scared" amid pressure from high-profile conservative personalities.
"Donald Trump got scared, he got shook, because of the right wing media talking to him and his base," Melber said during MSNBC's "The Beat with Ari Melber" on Friday.
Melber's remarks come amid a partial government shutdown on Friday, after Trump's demand for federal funding for a US-Mexico border wall led to gridlock in Congress.
On Thursday, Trump abruptly reneged his support for a bipartisan short-term funding bill that did not include funds for the wall, forcing House lawmakers to vote and pass a government funding bill that included $5.7 billion in wall funds. Both chambers of Congress adjourned on Friday night without a spending deal, making a midnight EST shutdown inevitable.
Conservative-leaning personalities, including Fox News hosts, author Ann Coulter, and radio host Rush Limbaugh, have widely excoriated Trump in recent weeks for what they described as kowtowing to Democrats and failing to deliver on his campaign promises.
Conservative provocateur Ann Coulter recently described Trump as a "gutless president in wall-less country," and has passive-aggressively made periodic updates of the border wall's construction:
Melber theorized it was this hardline conservative base, who have recently criticized his other controversial policy decisions, that pushed Trump to force his hand.
In addition to wall funding, conservative-leaning media personalities have lambasted Trump for his decision to withdraw all US ground forces from Syria, and questioned the circumstances of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis' abrupt resignation.
"It was this fear, though, from the right-wing media base, that ... forced Trump into this whole mess," Melber said.
In a candid meeting in front of cameras on December 11, Trump told Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer he was "proud to shut down the government for border security" and claimed he would not blame their party in the event of a shut down.
Trump failed to deliver on that claim when he announced on Friday that "Democrats now own the shutdown!"