Political analyst says conservatives showed how sensitive they are to ‘betrayal’ in border wall dispute

Political analyst Bill Schneider on Monday said that the backlash from conservatives to President Trump’s original decision last month to find other methods of funding his proposed border wall illustrates how sensitive conservatives are to members of their own political group betraying their platforms.

After Trump seemed poised to sign a spending bill to keep the government open despite it not having his proposed $5 billion in border wall funding, a number of conservatives pushed back at the president. He shortly reversed course and dug in on demanding the funding, leading to a partial government shutdown that has lasted more than two weeks. 

“Conservatives have a very keen sense of betrayal. They’re always watchful,” Schneider told Hill.TV’s Joe Concha on “What America’s Thinking.” 

“Remember when the first President Bush raised taxes? That was betrayal,” he continued. “Conservatives are more attuned to betrayal than anyone in American politics.”  

Schneider’s comments come as there is no end in sight for the shutdown. Democrats have passed a bill in the House that mirrors one previously passed in the Senate, but it only offers $1.3 billion in border security funding.

The White House indicated last month that Trump would find other ways to pay for the structure, but quickly backtracked after backlash from conservative media figures such as Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter. 

“About a month ago, President Trump was about to sign a deal that would have kept the government open, at least until February, and would not have mentioned the wall,” “He was about to sign it when suddenly, all these conservative commentators went crazy, and they said he’s betraying us,” Schneider said. 

— Julia Manchester