Donald Trump was on the cusp of a real breakthrough in his presidency when he presided over a public meeting on immigration reform with leaders from both parties.

What a difference a week makes.

No matter how contrived the nature of that Jan. 9 meeting, the optics played well. Fresh off a successful tax reform bill, Trump appeared to be doing what his predecessors couldn’t: bring both parties together to move the needle on immigration. Sen. Lindsay Graham, a South Carolina Republican, and Sen. Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, brought to the table a bipartisan bill that addressed issues in a way most Americans support.

The bill would strengthen security along the border with fencing and additional resources — in essence, allowing Trump to deliver, at least figuratively, on the wall he promised. The bill would reduce legal immigration to the U.S.

Finally, the bill would provide a path to legal status for the so-called Dreamers, the 690,000 immigrants brought to the country as minors. The Dream Act of 2012 allowed such individuals to remain in the U.S. so long as they met conditions such as working or being enrolled in school. Last fall, the Trump Administration rescinded the Dream Act but gave Congress six months to offer a replacement as part of broader immigration reform. The act will expire in March.

But after the public show of bipartisanship on immigration, things soured in a hurry. Trump — so close to another political win — inexplicably ran back to his base. In a closed door meeting on the immigration issue Thursday, Trump reportedly ranted and raved, making the now infamous racist remarks about Haiti and Haitian immigrants.

Trump has declared a DACA deal dead, which, given the way Washington works, means that the federal government could be shut down Friday. That’s because the current government spending bill, necessary to keep the government up and running, expires on Friday, and without a DACA deal, Democrats say they won’t support a new spending bill. Sixty votes are needed in the Senate to get a spending bill approved.

So, to recap, both parties are willing to shut down the government, a move that nobody wants, over their inability to reach agreement on DACA, which 70 percent of Americans support. No wonder the public has such disdain for those in Washington.

Thankfully, Graham and Durbin haven’t given up on their bill, even if the president has. They continue to work on gathering support in hopes of striking a deal that will stave off the government shutdown. Despite his tweets to the contrary, most think Trump will sign any immigration reform bill that crosses his desk and proclaim victory.

Here’s hoping Graham and Durbin do succeed, not only because their proposal makes sense but also because it’s long past time for our leaders in Washington to show they can put country before party.