Trump’s Immigration Deal With Mexico Is a Nothingburger

The New York Times confirms what I said last night:

The deal to avert tariffs that President Trump announced with great fanfare on Friday night consists largely of actions that Mexico had already promised to take in prior discussions with the United States over the past several months, according to officials from both countries who are familiar with the negotiations.

….Mr. Trump hailed the agreement anyway on Saturday….It was unclear whether Mr. Trump believed that the agreement truly represented new and broader concessions, or whether the president understood the limits of the deal but accepted it as a face-saving way to escape from the political and economic consequences of imposing tariffs on Mexico.

….Having threatened Mexico with an escalating series of tariffs — starting at 5 percent and growing to 25 percent — the president faced enormous criticism from global leaders, business executives, Republican and Democratic lawmakers, and members of his own staff that he risked disrupting a critical marketplace. After nine days of uncertainty, Mr. Trump backed down and accepted Mexico’s promises.

On the other hand, one of my fans emails to say that I just don’t get it:

You really are dumb aren’t you little boy? You have zero knowledge how negotiating works, Trump has effectively put even more pressure on the Mexican govt to adhere to their side of the agreement….etc.

In other words: no, the deal didn’t accomplish much of anything new, but yes, Trump’s base believes him when he says it’s the greatest thing ever. Mission accomplished!