My latest in the Telegraph, on why it was always a bad bet for Senate Democrats to try to shut down the government:
In simple Washington math, Schumer holds the cards: without Senate Democratic votes, the CR won’t pass . . . But whether Schumer knows it or not, he’s bluffing. What Democrats consider their leverage is actually a firecracker primed to go off in their own faces. Power in Washington isn’t just who has the votes. It’s also about who can move the public, who uses their most precious resources (time and public attention) to the greatest effect, and who gets the most out of the leverage they have. As far as moving the public, what’s the Democrats’ message?
Also, my latest in the Daily Mail, on the double gamble of Trump betting on escalating the trade war while trying to wrestle peace in Ukraine:
President Donald Trump has hazarded his presidency on two perilous bets – gleefully starting one ‘war’ and vowing to end another . . . Wild moves in Trump’s escalating global tariff tiff and his high-stakes Art of the Deal diplomacy over the fate of Ukraine would turn the face of any gambler white . . . Can he pull another rabbit from his hat? Surely, yes. But his margin for error is shrinking.