A week ago, President Donald Trump said he’d be responsible if the government shut down. Now that a shutdown is imminent, he’s trying to blame it on Democrats.
Trump last week: I’ll own the shutdown. Trump now: It’s the Democrats’ fault.
Trump is already flip-flopping on who owns a government shutdown.
Mark Wilson/Getty Images
On Friday morning, with a government shutdown looming as Trump and Congress struggle to agree to a budget deal, Trump tweeted, “The Democrats now own the shutdown!”
This is in sharp contrast to Trump’s comments from last week, when he said he would “take the mantle” if the government shut down.
Speaking to Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer in the Oval Office, Trump said on December 11, “I am proud to shut down the government for border security, Chuck. … I will take the mantle. I will be the one to shut it down. I’m not going to blame you for it.”
Congress was set to approve a spending deal this week — without $5 billion for a border wall. But on Thursday, Trump abruptly announced that he will not support a spending deal that doesn’t include the $5 billion for the wall. The House managed to pass a spending deal with that wall money, but the Senate can’t without Democratic votes, which are unlikely to go to any deal with the wall funding.
Without a spending deal on Friday, the government doesn’t have the money to stay fully open. As for how long it will last, Trump said this morning that “there will be a shutdown that will last for a very long time” if he doesn’t get his way on the wall.
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