Speaker Johnson: Trump ‘Desperate’ For Govt. To Reopen As Dems Set to Cave

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) affirmed on Fox News Sunday that President Donald J. Trump is “eager” and “determined” to reopen the federal government as swiftly as possible — even as Democrats continue to dig in and refuse meaningful negotiation.

Host Shannon Bream opened by highlighting the president’s recent pressure on Senate Republicans to consider ending the filibuster so legislation can advance without being obstructed by Democrat procedural roadblocks. She quoted one of President Trump’s statements directed at his own party:

“Remember Republicans, regardless of the Schumer shutdown, the Democrats will terminate the filibuster the first chance they get. They’ll pack the Supreme Court, pick up two states, and add at least eight electoral votes. Don’t be weak and stupid, Republicans you will rule rue the day that you didn’t terminate the filibuster. Be tough, be smart and win.”

Bream then asked Johnson what message he had for Senate Republicans who may be reconsidering the 60-vote threshold.

Johnson acknowledged that both parties have historically hesitated to eliminate the filibuster because of the Left’s well-documented agenda:

“They would pack the court,” Johnson noted. “They would do all the things the president. Let’s discuss there.”

But Johnson emphasized the core issue: President Trump wants the government open because Americans are being harmed by Democratic obstruction.

“He is a big-hearted president,” Johnson said. “He wants everybody to get their services, and the health services for veterans and SNAP benefits and all the rest. And he’s tried everything he can, and he is now exhausting his ability. The courts are now saying you can’t go any further. So he’s just desperate for the government to open. He’s tried everything.”

Johnson continued,
“He’s tried to negotiate with them. He’s he’s pleaded with them and they’re still dug their heels in. So this is a reflection of all of our desperation. We’re angry about it. I think we should be.”

While Democrats have insisted they are ready to talk, they continue blocking every Republican effort to restore federal operations.

On CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) attempted to project optimism, saying he hoped the shutdown could end “this week” now that the president had returned from overseas. However, Warner refused to identify any specific concession Democrats are willing to make.

Warner said,
“I hope it ends it this week.”

He added that Democrats believe the situation will only move forward once President Trump personally enters negotiations — a telling admission of how much influence the president continues to hold over Washington power dynamics.

“We knew this wasn’t going to end unless Donald Trump was back in the country. He’s now back in the country. He’s got to go ahead and put America first and sit down with us, deal with the health care shortage,” Warner said.

But Warner’s plea came without acknowledgment of a key fact: Senate Democrats have already voted fourteen times against bills that would have reopened the government.

Even so, Warner insisted,
“It’s why the bipartisan conversation so far, I don’t think we’ll ever get to ‘yes’ because unfortunately, my Republican colleagues can’t move on anything without a Trump sign-off.”

He finished by saying,
“Trump has spent enough time going out there now trying to audition for a Nobel Prize, running around the world. Come back and put America first. Sit down and let’s get this resolved. It can be done in an hour.”

What Democrats call “negotiation,” however, continues to look a lot more like stalling, political theater, and refusal to govern.

President Trump has made clear: the government can reopen today — if Democrats stop holding essential services hostage in exchange for ideological demands.