Border Line Insanity, Con't

Me, last weekend, on Trump's border-closing bluff:

It's a bluff and everyone knows it.  Closing the border with Mexico would cost the country billions in trade dollars a day and Republicans in Congress aren't about to put up with that.  Trump has already blown a hole in the side of the US economy with his tariffs.  Closing the border with Mexico would only make things worse. 

Donald Trump, Thursday, reminding us "what border closing?"

President Donald Trump backpedaled on his threat to shut down the southern border, saying Thursday that now he doesn't think the US will "ever have to close the border." 

Trump, earlier Thursday, threatened to slap tariffs on automobiles made in Mexico and close the US-Mexico border if the country didn't stop "massive amounts of drugs" coming into the US within one year. 

"We're going to give them a one-year warning, and if the drugs don't stop or (are) largely stopped, we're going to put tariffs on Mexico and products, in particular, the cars ... and if that doesn't stop the drugs, we close the border," Trump told reporters. 

But by Thursday evening, Trump had shifted his position again. 

"I don't think we'll ever have to close the border because the penalty of tariffs on cars coming into the United States from Mexico, at 25%, will be massive," Trump said. 

When asked if his comments suggested that his new auto tariffs mean the southern border will remain open for at least a year, Trump responded: "No, I didn't say that." 

"We would start with the tariffs and we'll see what happens," Trump said. "Now, maybe by the end of this press conference or tomorrow that'll stop. And if that stops we're doing a big tariff deal." 

So we're back to 25% tariffs on autos and parts from Mexico, which would bankrupt US automakers overnight.  And the latest threat deadline would put that right in the 2020 campaign.  Trump is bluffing yet again, because while he is sliding the country towards autocratic fascism with small daily steps, the bigger jumps are, for now, not being made.

Trump is still Trump, a con artist who is 100% bluff when he has no cards.