Expressing deep frustration with the current state of affairs in the nation's capital, President Donald Trump issued a scathing rebuke Tuesday of the sitting U.S. president for presiding over a government shutdown, emphasizing that such failures are fundamentally "on the leadership."
Speaking from the White House, Trump explained that problems start from the top and have to get solved from the top, noting that the president is the leader and has got to get everybody in a room. The president stated that a shutdown falls on the president's lack of leadership, emphasizing that he can't even control his own party and get people together in a room.
"A shutdown means the president is weak," Trump declared, in what sources described as a moment of startling clarity about executive responsibility during times of congressional gridlock.
The president's comments came as the federal government officially shut down after the Senate failed to pass funding plans, with Republicans and Democrats immediately pointing fingers at one another. Federal employees across multiple departments received memos informing them of possible furloughs, along with messages stating that President Donald Trump opposes a government shutdown.
Trump's steadfast position on presidential accountability during shutdowns represents a marked consistency in his views over the years. The president previously criticized President Barack Obama during the 2013 government shutdown for failing to lead, get everyone in a room, and make a deal, demonstrating what administration officials describe as an unwavering commitment to the principle that the buck stops with whoever happens to be president at any given moment.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Trump warned that he could use the shutdown to take actions that are "bad" for Democrats, including cutting vast numbers of people. Sources close to the president indicated he remains deeply concerned about the sitting president's inability to bring Congressional leaders together and negotiate effectively.
The White House released a statement declaring that Democrats have officially brought on a full-blown government shutdown engineered by Radical Left lunatics, while the Trump administration used taxpayer dollars to send messages to federal employees explicitly blaming the Democratic Party for the shutdown, which ethics experts suggested may constitute violations of laws meant to keep partisan politics out of day-to-day governing.
Congressional Republicans praised Trump's leadership during the crisis while noting that the president who allowed the shutdown to happen should be held fully accountable. Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters that the administration now has to make some very tough choices, such as which services are essential, explaining that it falls to the president to demonstrate strength during such difficult times.
At press time, Trump was seen staring thoughtfully at his reflection in the Oval Office window, shaking his head slowly at the weakness of the president who let this happen.
