'Thrilled' Dems believe 'desperate' Trump just handed them a gift they didn't ask for

Democrats were reportedly sensing potential spring break travel pandemonium and further political fallout over President Donald Trump's decision to send federal immigration agents to airports, an analyst reported on Monday.

Author Rachel Bade wrote in a Substack post how Trump could be heading for a "rude awakening" this week as Democrats call his bluff over whether to fund the Department of Homeland Security amid the partial government shutdown. The president's move to bring U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents was expected to backfire as Democratic lawmakers were apparently predicting how voters would respond, and Democrats wouldn't be pushed to bow down to Republican demands.

"Publicly, Democrats are calling the move ridiculous. Privately, though? They’re thrilled," Bade wrote. "The way they see it, Trump’s move screams desperation and that the White House is eager to resolve this issue before the spring break travel season."

Democrats expected the administration's response to the unpaid TSA workers to create another ripple effect.

"If the White House is this rattled, Dems can squeeze even harder," Bade wrote. "Some are even betting Republicans will cave as soon as this week."

Several Democratic sources on the Hill told Bade what could happen next.

"Democrats doubt the administration is tone deaf enough to have ICE agents carry out immigration enforcement at airports," Bade wrote. "They’re skeptical agents will be checking travelers’ immigration papers, for instance. But even just the sight of ICE hanging around doors and exits will spook Americans, they insist — and make GOP immigration policy look even more chaotic and personal."

It could come down to public perception.

"One Democratic source put it to me this way: The public stopped trusting Republicans on immigration when people started seeing the chaos up close — in places like Minnesota, where enforcement hit home," Bade explained. "ICE showing up at airports would thrust the issue from the abstract into the everyday lives of millions of Americans, they argue."