Only because the Press painted the picture. Have they even ONCE mentioned Pelosi's excessive travelling on our dime?
Well, we've known for a long time that the mainstream media is an enemy to democracy as we know it. And, while the shutdown has had little effect on most people, the media has successfully painted a picture of starving government workers.
I think Trump realized that and decided to open the government. The wall is popular with the majority of people and border security is popular, and stopping the drain on our country involved with caring for people who have no right to be here is also popular.
But, he had to deal with the negative vibe of the closed government before it became the overriding issue.