President Donald Trump on Tuesday blasted Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and his Democratic colleagues, accusing them of “holding the entire federal government hostage” as the shutdown stretched into its 21st day.
Speaking during a lunch at the White House Rose Garden, Trump said, “Chuck Schumer and the Senate Democrats need to vote for the clean, bipartisan CR and reopen our government. It’s got to be reopened right now.”
He didn’t hold back in his criticism, labeling Schumer and his caucus as “obstructionists.” “The reason they’re doing it is because we’re doing so well,” Trump said. “We’re doing well all over the world.”
The president claimed Schumer was “in deep trouble” politically, even suggesting the New York Democrat was “losing in all of the polls.”
“He’s even losing to AOC, plus three,” Trump quipped, referencing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and members of the progressive “Squad.”
Trump told reporters they could call it “the Schumer shutdown or the Democrats’ shutdown,” before pivoting to praise his budget chief. “We have Darth Vader, you know Darth Vader, right?” he said, referring to Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought. “They call him Darth Vader. I call him a fine man, but he’s cutting Democrat priorities, and they’re never going to get them back.”
“Many of the things that they wanted are things that we don’t want—things that are just so bad for our country, and we’re cutting those things out,” he continued.
Trump urged Democrats to “stop the madness” and allow the country to move forward. “In the greatest moment in the history of our country, in terms of wealth, in terms of job creation, and in terms of investment coming in, these guys go on strike. It’s really a shame.”
He also took aim at Democrats’ electoral prospects, warning Republicans that “we have to win the midterms” or risk what he called a far-left takeover. “We’re going to end up with a communist mayor in New York,” Trump said, referencing progressive candidate Zohran Mamdani.