Donald Trump is bent on causing as much chaos as possible during his lame duck months, and last night he threw the economic survival of millions of Americans and the government itself into doubt with a last minute tantrum: Trump calls on Congress to approve $2,000 stimulus checks, hinting he might not sign relief bill without changes.

The implications for what happens next could be severe. If he refuses to sign the bill, the government will shut down on Dec. 29. The $900 billion in emergency economic aid will be frozen, and the race for the two Senate seats in Georgia could also be upended.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), however, quickly responded to the Twitter post by saying congressional Democrats would move as soon as Thursday, when the House is scheduled to meet for a brief pro forma session, to advance the $2,000 stimulus checks.

“Republicans repeatedly refused to say what amount the President wanted for direct checks,” she posted on Twitter on Tuesday night after Trump’s message. “At last, the President has agreed to $2,000 — Democrats are ready to bring this to the Floor this week by unanimous consent. Let’s do it!”

Trump loves to contradict and humiliate his cronies to maintain dominance, and he’s doing it again — because the idea of $600 payments originally came from none other than his own treasury secretary, the execrable Steven Mnuchin.

I’ve been very vocal about my dissatisfaction with the original $600 direct payment plan, and it would be the height of Trumpian irony if he sabotages Mitch McConnell and gives the Democrats a chance to do something better for the American people.

But it’s unlikely that the Republican Senate will approve higher payments, because they evidently want people to suffer.