Trump cornered on wall

US President Donald Trump’s hunt for money for his Mexico border wall may ultimately lead him into uncharted territory of declaring an emergency and getting the money without having to go through the legislature. Such a move would invite judicial scrutiny, but then the Republicans are thought to have the majority in terms of judges seeing things their way. As Mr Trump is diminished in the presidency after having to temporarily lift the government shutdown by bowing to the power of the feisty Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, the incipient fear is Mr Trump will further fan xenophobia in playing up to his constituency by declaring war on illegal immigrants.

Mr Trump’s run-ins with Ms Pelosi and the House Democrats, who gained majority in the mid-term elections, are becoming notorious as another possible government shutdown looms large. In forcing him to postpone his State of the Union address because of the shutdown, Ms Pelosi may have pushed Mr Trump into a corner from which he is expected to come out snarling. The danger is that Mr Trump may believe the wall is more important to his political future than the fallout of federal employees out of work and pay.

Across the Atlantic, as the UK wrestles with the complex problem of Brexit from the EU, it is globalisation that is taking a big hit. In the UK too, it was the fear of unfettered migration from the EU that swayed the “Leave” vote, which is once again leading to the changing of history of Europe and the Common Market idea that seemed so attractive decades ago. There are no people who will not put their nation as the first priority, but any swing to jingoistic nationalism could lead to several problems in the world, most of all to globalisation and free trade that defined the harmony of the West.