On Tuesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average had its best day since April, recovering after a week of Trump-induced political turmoil. On Wednesday morning, the Dow, the S&P 500, and the NASDAQ all opened lower, with safe havens like gold and then yen inching higher. What happened in between? Donald Trump flew to Arizona and had an hour-long televised meltdown. In addition to blaming the media for the violence that transpired in Charlottesville, praising a local sheriff who was found guilty of defying an order to stop racially profiling drivers, and literally bragging about how big his apartment is, Trump also threatened to allow the federal government to shut down if Congress doesn’t agree to fund his border wall. “Build that wall,” Trump told a crowd of supporters at a campaign-style rally in Phoenix. “The obstructionist Democrats would like us not to do it, but believe me, if we have to close down our government, we’re building that wall.”

Building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border was, of course, not only Trump’s top campaign promise, but his very first talking point upon declaring his candidacy. Early in his tenure in the White House, he repeatedly demanded that our neighbors to the south fund the wall (they have refused) before getting distracted by other issues like health care and antagonizing North Korea. Now, as Congress confronts a fast-approaching deadline to keep the government funded, Trump is shifting back into hostage-taking mode. If no new bill is passed, the federal government will begin shutting down on October 1. Congress must also agree to raise the debt ceiling, a vote that could become complicated by a potential shutdown.

The border wall negotiations might go more smoothly if Trump hadn’t devoted several minutes of his speech to needling Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, with whom he has been feuding for months. According to The New York Times, McConnell has been telling people that Trump is “unwilling to learn the basics of governing” and that it might be impossible to save his presidency. Sounds like a good starting point to make a deal.