President Donald Trump has told confidants that he thinks a shutdown of the federal government might be positive for him politically, according to The Washington Post.
The newspaper attributed the story to people who have spoken to the president recently. Two of those people, according to the Post, said he has told advisors that it is important that he appears tough on immigration and pushes for getting funding for building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Trump has reportedly said taking a hard stand on immigration could help him win back supporters who were unhappy about his outreach to Democrats during the fall.
If the government is shut down, the president said he would put the blame on Democrats, according to the Post. The government runs into a spending deadline Dec. 8, and a number of analysts expect Republicans to propose extending current funding to Dec. 22.
Democratic leadership has already clashed with the president this week after he tweeted that it would not be possible to make a deal with them. Both House minority leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer dropped out of a meeting at the White House after his comment.
Read the full report at The Washington Post.