Trump loves to take hostages, but so does Mitch McConnell. His MO is to threaten an outcome that is obviously inconsistent with the national interest (e.g., defaulting on the national debt) and to leverage that threat into a substantive concession that is consistent with GOP ideology. This negotiating tactic only works because McConnell (again, like Trump) comes across as a credible madman who actually would kill the hostage without the concession. It’s completely irresponsible, and it needs to stop.
As you would expect, McConnell and Trump have signaled that they will demand concessions on sanctuary cities, or employer liability, or something to be determined later in exchange for assistance to state and local governments. It’s time for the Democrats to say no, because the failure of the legislation will deepen the recession and thereby damage the GOP in November. In other words, the hostage is a potential Republican victory; if they want to shoot him, so what?