Why would we think he will stop at a challenge?

He won't.

His very essence is to punch, to hurt, to sow chaos.

As I've posted several times - consensus inside the WH is that it's wall money now or no re-election

He'll wind up doing the same thing he did with the shutdown. He'll be proud to do it and he'll take the responsibility for his actions. Hannity, Limbaugh, Coulter and Ingraham will goad him into calling it a National Emergency. He'll be worried if he crosses them he'll lose his base.

He is on the cusp of calling a National Emergency.

At some point in time he's going to have to cut his losses and re-open the government or give up on the Wall or he will destroy himself, the Repug Party and us the American People when he takes us with him on his path of destruction of our democracy.

"Once when I was reporting, Lyndon Johnson's top guy gave me the word they were looking for a successor for J. Edgar Hoover. I wrote it, and the day it appeared, Johnson held a press conference and appointed Hoover head of the FBI for life. When he was done, he turned to his top guy and the president said, "Call Ben Bradlee and tell him, 'Fuck you."'

- All the President's Men

That isn't their job. And you couldn't possible get all journalists to go along with it anyway.

but they have to figure out a way for him to save face.

...tactic. It is bullying and threatening, which is all he knows how to do.

Cocaine Mitch: "Don't worry Mr. president, we'll back you up on this."

Dandy Graham: "Please Mr. president, do it again! We love the smell of your shit!"

Rump to GOP: "Ok, I can oblige you. I'll just double down and let out the biggest shit of all time. I've eaten fifteen Big Macs, and they have sailed through me. Watch out! I'm going to explode in a shitstorm. Call it a national emergency."