Sure looks to the average guy on the street, that Trump is slowly caving. Sure do not see where he is gaining anything. Maybe one of you folks with better foresight could explain hs way of thinking?
He made a tactical error. He's a negotiator and one of his tactics is to stake out a bold position and then negotiate back from there for what he really wants, ala "Trade Wars are great and easy to win" with China. Which is the same as threatening China with a full-scale trade war. And then negotiating for what he really wants which is something less.
His mistake was saying he'd shut down the government and be proud to do it. Once he said that he owned the shutdown and all of the backlash that came with it. He didn't take into account the unitended consequences like air traffic slowdowns and collateral damage to small businesses that depend on the government staying open, from restuarants to staff augmentation companies.
What works in the commercial world doesn't always work in the government world.
