BORDER/POLLS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WALL: “As new polls released on Wednesday [1-23-19] showed that a majority of Americans had cooled to the idea of a protracted government shutdown over his long-promised border wall, President Trump woke up with the same two options facing him as the past 33 days: He could fight back or concede. Or maybe he could try rhyming?…Mr. Trump, a born marketing machine, brought to the White House a history of selling Americans everything from steaks to questionable real estate credentials to the catchphrase ‘You’re Fired!’ And his red-and-white ‘Make America Great Again’ hat is instantly associated with Mr. Trump, an accessory that, as Americans were reminded last weekend, draws controversy like a laser beam. When Mr. Trump fires off a tweet, the president gets visibly excited when he comes up with a message he believes will go over well with his base — he peers over his phone with a ‘watch this’ expression, according to two people who have observed such a process.”
–Katie Rogers and Linda Qiu, “Trump’s Latest Border Sell: A (Factually Dubious) Rhyme,” The New York Times online, January 23, 2019