Donald Trump never showed any interest in cutting the budget during his days in office. Why is he cheering for a GOP hard line on spending and a debt ceiling crisis?
Part of it is just his vengeful id, of course, but there may be an element of calculation, as well. Creating chaos is his brand; paradoxically, he may think the public will be longing for a strongman (i.e., himself) to put an end to the instability caused by his acolytes once and for all. In other words, desperate times call for desperate measures.