Trump’s last big fight with the Democrats will give him everything he needs for a run in 2024

The president is reportedly already strategizing for a run in four years’ time — and a manufactured row about Confederate statues could bolster his chances

Trump could cause another government shutdown in December (Getty Images)

What might Santa Claus find when he, after a security screening and Covid test, slides down the White House residence chimney?

Well, he might find workers stocking Donald Trump’s fridge and linen closet in case the government shuts down the following week and some of them are unable to show up for work.

That’s because Congress must pass and the president sign some kind of government spending bill by 11 December. That’s when government funding technically lapses, though there are always several million dollars in the couch cushions that keep some things going during shutdowns.

Congressional leaders and White House officials are saying, mostly, the right things.

"It's our hope, and I think this is the speaker's view as well, that we can come together on an omnibus and pass it," McConnell told reporters on Capitol Hill. "I believe that's the preference of the White House as well."

Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said similar – she was on the Appropriations Committee for many years, she frequently reminds us, so she understands the need to pass spending bills. She also routinely hails herself as a “master legislator,” indicating she knows how to get these kinds of deals done.

She does. So does McConnell.

They’ve done it before. Notably, they’ve done such deals with Trump, usually to his chagrin.

His chief of staff, former conservative Congressman Mark Meadows, claims his boss does not want to preside over another partial government shutdown. 

We’ll see about that.

Remember the last time Trump wanted to make a point about Washington and Democrats’ demands? He orchestrated a shutdown that lasted 34 full days. It was the longest in American history.

Remember that Trump did that knowing he would again face voters. 

This time, he’s on the way out while making unproven claims about voter fraud. A government shutdown of his making would give him even more attention from the media, amplifying his megaphone to continue alleging the election was somehow “rigged” against him.

One more presidential hissy fit could be weeks away.

But it might not be the final one.

Lawmakers and the White House also must find a way to pass a Pentagon policy bill that Democrats, and some Republicans, say should include language at least setting up a process to remove the names of Confederate generals from military bases.

The president is staunchly opposed to doing so as he continues placating his far-right political base.

Sources say he is mulling a third run for the presidency in 2024, meaning the Confederate naming issue could give him a chance to let that base know he remains in their corner as he tries to keep them. Several prominent Republicans are angling to make their own 2024 runs for the White House via what might be called the “Trump lane,” so he needs to continue to stand out.

In fact, why wouldn’t Trump pick a very public fight with Democrats over the issue? It would give him a free 2024 campaign ad via all the media coverage.

Washington is eerily quiet right now. All the action is in courtrooms across the country. But that soon will change when Congress returns after Thanksgiving.

It's a good thing many people aren't traveling this holiday season. 

We're going to be here a while next month – unless Trump really has given up and decides, against his every fiber and instinct, against having two final fights with the Democrats he so loathes.