Trump has a messaging challenge

By almost any objective measure, the president cannot claim victory based on this deal. That does not mean he will not try. In recent days, he has shifted his rhetoric from “building” a wall to “finishing” a wall.

He was defiant at the rally in El Paso. “We need the wall and it has to be built,” he said.

News of the possible deal broke just before Mr. Trump was to speak.

He had the option of receiving a briefing on the compromise or making a scheduled appearance with Laura Ingraham of Fox News. He chose the latter. He has some work to do persuading his supporters on the right who see the wall as a core promise of his presidency. The early reviews were harsh. On Fox, Sean Hannity called the deal “a garbage compromise.”

The president still has a card in his pocket: a national emergency

The president has retained the option of declaring a national emergency to build the border barrier. Now he will have to decide whether to accept the deal that top members of his own party in Congress negotiated, or to in effect go it alone.

If Mr. Trump were to declare a national emergency, the move would assuredly draw a court challenge, and would not help him in further negotiations with Congress on other issues.