He thinks this is all a game.

President Donald Trump said Thursday he was denying House Speaker Nancy Pelosi a military plane for a trip to Afghanistan that was set to begin in the afternoon, a tit-for-tat retaliation that deepened the divide between the leaders and brought the government no closer to reopening.

…

Pelosi had been scheduled to leave within the hour that Trump’s letter was made public, making for the awkward site of a large blue Air Force bus idling outside the Capitol as the implications of the President’s missive came into focus.

This is what it is to have a stupid malevolent narcissistic child in the executive role in government.

The administration “worked with the Air Force and (the Defense Department) and basically took away the rights to the plane from the speaker,” one White House official said.

“Due to the Shutdown, I am sorry to inform you that your trip to Brussels, Egypt, and Afghanistan has been postponed,” Trump wrote Pelosi on Thursday. “We will reschedule this seven-day excursion when the Shutdown is over.”

Later, Pelosi’s spokesman said the stop in Brussels was mainly to allow the pilot to rest and that Egypt was not on her itinerary.

“Excursion.” As many people are heatedly pointing out, it wasn’t an “excursion,” it was a visit to troops in a combat zone…which Trump exposed. The trip was classified.

Pelosi’s spokesman said the stop in Brussels was mainly to allow the pilot to rest and that Egypt was not on her itinerary.

Even though Afghanistan — an active US combat zone — was one of the countries on her planned itinerary, Trump suggested she fly commercial.

“Obviously, if you would like to make your journey by flying commercial, that would certainly be your prerogative,” Trump wrote.

Right now I would like to jump up and down on his face wearing heavy boots with chains on them.

White House officials, including acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, began discussing canceling Pelosi’s trip early Thursday morning, according to two people with knowledge of how the day unfolded. Aides felt caught off guard when Pelosi publicly released her letter calling on Trump to postpone his State of the Union address, or deliver it in writing, and felt canceling the military air travel would be an ideal response.

How stupid can they be?! You’d think it was a fucking shopping trip. She was leading a Congressional delegation to visit troops in a combat zone. That’s not a junket or a treat or a perk, and it’s not something Donnie Heel Spurs looks good grabbing away out of stupid toddlery spite.

“The purpose of the trip was to express appreciation & thanks to our men & women in uniform for their service & dedication, & to obtain critical national security & intelligence briefings from those on the front lines,” Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill tweeted.

Oh, really? I thought it was to eat truffles and sip champagne in Monte Carlo.

.@SpeakerPelosi: Thank you for planning a visit to Afghanistan as one of your first trips, as Speaker, this Congress.

It is shameful that @realDonaldTrump has decided to not allow you to go and thank our troops.

Nonetheless, your intent to go is GREATLY appreciated. Thank you.

— VoteVets (@votevets) January 17, 2019

It's actually really revealing that Trump appears to believe the only reason an elected official would go to Afghanistan or Egypt was for PR reasons, as if it's a fun photo op instead of part of the responsibilities of governing.

— Susan Hennessey (@Susan_Hennessey) January 17, 2019