GOP rep after speaking with Trump: He won’t back down on the wall

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Dec. 26, 2018 / 7:13 PM GMT

By Benjy Sarlin

With little apparent movement in the White House or Congress toward a deal to end the ongoing government shutdown, Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., said on Wednesday that he had spoken to President Donald Trump and saw no sign he would back off his demand to fund a wall along the border.

“I can tell you that if they believe that this president is going to yield on this particular issue, they’re misreading him, they’re misreading the American people because he’s intent on making sure that (he) not only follows through with this commitment to the American people, but that he makes sure that our borders are secure,” Meadows, who chairs the influential conservative House Freedom Caucus, said in an appearance on CNN.

He added, “I don’t think there’s any situation where the president should give up on that demand.”

Dec. 26, 201817:45

At the same time, Meadows said Trump has asked “rank-and-file” Republicans to reach out to Democrats on their own in hope of finding a compromise.

“I can tell you that the president is very firm and he’s resolved that we need to secure our border, and he is encouraging me and others to enter into discussions with Democrats,” Meadows said in an appearance on CNN.

Democrats are set to take over the House on Jan. 3 after winning 40 seats and a majority in the midterm elections, giving Republican members like Meadows diminished leverage over the outcome. House Minority Leader and Speaker nominee Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have insisted that they will not sign onto a funding bill that includes money to build a new stretch of wall along the Mexican border.

“I think…part of the reason why you don’t see a tremendous amount of freneticism on the Hill is because both Democrats and Republicans know full well: Donald Trump lost this fight before it started and they’re just waiting for him to capitulate,” Philippe Reines, a former aide to Hillary Clinton, said on MSNBC on Wednesday.