MSNBC’s Donny Deutsch fears Trump will harm democracy — and still 'win' his shutdown

MSNBC's Donny Deutsch predicted President Donald Trump would declare a national emergency to end the government shutdown, fund his border wall -- and claim a victory.

The "Morning Joe" contributor warned that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer were making a big gamble in their showdown over border wall funding, because the president could do real harm to democracy and still come away with a political win.

"We have to recognize something because my head's going to explode," Deutsch said. "He's winning here. You have to understand he's going to open the government, he's going to declare an emergency, he's going to say the Democrats closed it, he's going to put the Democrats into court, and what he's done is chip at our democracy -- but that's not going to matter."

"I hope Chuck and Nancy today you're figuring it out because he's going to win this," he added. "This is absurd -- I don't know what to do. He's going to say, 'I opened the government, I took control, I put people back to work, I made us safer.'"

Deutsch said the president was uniquely positioned to win over federal workers hurt by the ongoing shutdown, and he imagined how Trump could do it.

"'I am President Trump, I hear you, I feel your pain, and that is why I'm declaring an emergency, and that's why I'm opening the government,'" Deutsch said. "'Thank you, and good night.'"

"That's why we're all chumps," he added.