I think he made a mistake failing to take them on for it too.
Lot more chance of success with resolving a government shutdown to achieve your signature campaign promise in the first year of your term when both sides of Congress are your party.
If he doesn’t get it out of this shutdown, when does he - his last year?
Possibly.
As far as taking the senate on; all the arm twisting in the world was not going to change the votes of McCain, Flake and several other lowlife scumbags.