Former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci said President Donald Trump is “exuding his toughness” by threatening a government shutdown over border security.
“I don’t think he’s going to get blamed for it,” Scaramucci said Tuesday in an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper. “I think the American people recognize that he’s taking that position out of frustration more than he’s taking that position like he wants to shut down the government and hurt the processes of government.”
As Congress and the White House attempt to broker a deal on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and immigration, Trump on Tuesday floated the possibility of shutting down the federal government if congressional Democrats cannot agree to stricter immigration laws.
“If we don’t change it, let’s have a shutdown,” Trump said during a White House meeting about the MS-13 gang with lawmakers. “We’ll do a shutdown and it’s worth it for our country. I’d love to see a shutdown if we don’t get this stuff taken care of.”
Scaramucci added: “He’s tough enough to not blink in a negotiation scenario with Democrats.”