Trump privately agrees with putting off border wall fight, despite public threats

President Trump has privately agreed with congressional Republicans to delay the fight over funding for his border wall until after the November midterm elections, despite his public statements expressing a willingness to shut down the government over the issue, an administration official is telling The Wall Street Journal.

“The president sees merit in having this battle after the election,” the aide said. 

{mosads}In the last two days, Trump has twice threatened to shut down the government if Congress does not provide funding for the wall. Lawmakers face a Sept. 30 deadline to pass legislation funding the government.

Trump’s public statements about a shutdown have rattled GOP lawmakers worried about a closure months before the midterm elections could hurt their party. Nothing in Trump’s recent public comments would suggest he’s interested in putting off the fight.

GOP leaders in Congress, however, have been taking steps to put off the fight by passing other appropriations measures before the end of September. They’ve planned to hold off on approval of a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security, which has jurisdiction over a border wall, until after the elections.

The administration official’s comments suggest Trump agrees with this approach and that his recent public comments are posturing. 

“The president made it very clear to the leadership that a fight was coming and he’s done putting it off,” the administration official told the Journal.

But the aide also added that Trump still “understands the political practicalities of having to put it off until after the election but it’s coming in early November and early December.”