First of all, there is zero chance that Trump has dedicated any thought to the second-level implications of this or any of his pet conspiracy theories. He clings to them, evidence be damned, because they fit his narrative, soothe his insecurities, and are easy for him to pronounce. This time, rather than simply refute the lie—which, for political journalists like Tapper, has to be an exhausting nightly exercise at this point—Tapper showcases the inherent absurdity of Spicer's statement by pointing out how telling it is that the man who actually has the power to address this purported national emergency seems to have no interest in doing so.

Tapper's response also highlights what could become an increasingly vexing problem for Trump's administration, which throughout the campaign took great pleasure in talking about problems but rarely put forth solutions for any of them. Ranting about China and walls and carnage in its various forms is easy, but the longer he spends in the White House, the more that the perpetuation of any of the real or imagined crises he has identified will fall on his own shoulders. As much as he may have relished the role, Donald Trump isn't a political outsider anymore. He's the President of the United States, and it's time for him to show his work.

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