The two sides weren't even talking about the same thing! The President made a speech about protecting the American people from drugs and violence flooding across the southern border. Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi made a speech about protecting the government from a partial shutdown. They were like two ships passing in the night.
The President used facts, statistics, and real life stories to bolster his argument. He showed respect for his critics and made no moral judgements about their opposition. The Democrats denied there was a problem in the first place, though they didn't refute any of the Presidents statistics or anecdotes. They showed nothing but contempt for anyone who disagreed with them, accusing them of immorality, racism, and stupidity.
I'm not sure what the final outcome of all this will be, but the President seems to have won this round.
And then there were the optics:
