US President Donald Trump has displayed some of the deal-making magic he promised during the 2017 campaign, shutting down the government, then systematically caving into every single one of Nancy Pelosi’s demands to reopen it.
In a masterclass of hard-nosed negotiations, Mr Trump went big – enacting the longest shutdown in US history, and then cleverly ending it when none of his demands were met.
“I’m a deal maker. I make the best deals,” Trump told a rally in North Carolina, before explaining how he took everything off the table and then put it all back on again.
“It’s the element of surprise,” the New York businessman said. “You’ve got to think ‘What’s the last thing your opponent expects from you?’ To walk away from the negotiations with nothing. That’s what we did. The Democrats didn’t see that coming. We blindsided them big time”.
To chants of ‘USA! USA’ the Art Of The Deal author said his famous negotiating style was what America needed. “Don’t give an inch. Unless you have to. Then just give them everything”.
