Fox & Friends co-host Steve Doocy expressed his disappointment at President Donald Trump's decision not to shut down the government over funding for his border wall. The Democrats are winning the shutdown battle, Doocy said, calling it "a stunning turn of events."
“What a stunning turn of events,” Doocy said. “It was just last week that the president was in the Oval Office with Chuck and Nancy and said, ‘I would be proud to shut down the government.’ Building the wall is worth shutting down the government.’”
He added: “And now, it’s like, you know, ‘We’re looking at other departments for the money.’’’
Pivoting to talk about the continuing resolution to fund the government and keep it open, Doocy said:
“If he agrees to the CR, which would continue funding the government at the current levels, he won’t get 1-point-anything for the wall, and the sky-high spending from Congress, which he ran against when he was running for president, it’s going to continue. He loses, and the Democrats will win everything they want."
This statement prompted co-host Ainsley Earhardt to chime in with, “Some are wondering, ‘Is this a win for Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer or is he being the adult and trying to compromise so that the government doesn’t shut down?’”
But Doocy's implication that this turn of events was unexpected didn't quite land.
President Trump has caved, and his decision not to shut down the government comes the same week as a USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll which found that most Americans would blame Trump and the Republicans, not congressional Democrats, for the government shutdown the president had threatened.
54 percent of those surveyed said they are completely opposed to a government shutdown, with only 29 percent saying they would support it. Moreover, 43 percent said they would blame the president and the Republican party for a shutdown while only 24 percent said they would hold Democrats equally responsible. 30 percent of those surveyed said they would hold both parties equally responsible.
Most Democrats (83 percent to 6 percent) are utterly opposed to a shutdown. Independents are also largely opposed (56 percent to 22 percent). Two-thirds of Republicans say they support a government shutdown, however.
Blame, according to the poll, also has "a partisan bent." 81 percent of Democrats say they would blame Republicans for a shutdown. Likewise, 58 percent of Republicans say they would blame Democrats. 43 percent of independent voters say they would blame both parties equally.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) had earlier called on Republicans to rein the president in.
"They just have to have the guts to tell President Trump he's off the deep end here and all he is going to get with his temper tantrum is a shutdown," Schumer said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press." "He will not get a wall."
