CNN's Fareed Zakaria explains why Trump's border wall standoff is really about avoiding impeachment

The federal government shutdown caused by President Donald Trump's fight over his proposed border wall may not just be a distraction from his legal troubles, but a way to shore up his base ahead of a possible impeachment trial, CNN analyst Fareed Zakaria said Thursday.

Appearing with CNN host Don Lemon, Zakaria said that Trump's support of the wall was what separated him from the rest of the GOP pack at the beginning of his political career.

"What separated him from all those 16 Republican candidates was immigration, was the wall, was that he was going to be tougher than anyone else," said Zakaria. "That is the heart of his campaign. That is why the base loves him."

Trump is now pursuing a "base-only strategy" Zakaria said.

"Part of me thinks that this is the anti-impeachment strategy," he said. "What he's doing is locking in a base so strongly that no Republican would dare cross it because they would worry about being primaried."

Watch below.