Trump Accuses Dems of ‘Holding Government Hostage’ Amid Shutdown
President Donald J. Trump on Tuesday accused Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senate Democrats of “holding the entire federal government hostage,” saying he would not cave to “extortion” over partisan spending demands that threaten to prolong the ongoing shutdown.
Speaking during a lunch event in the White House Rose Garden, President Trump said Democrats are deliberately obstructing efforts to pass a clean, short-term funding bill that would reopen the government while budget negotiations continue.
“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,” Trump said. “They are the obstructionists. And the reason they’re doing it is because we’re doing so well. We’re doing well all over the world.”
The shutdown—now stretching into its 21st day—was triggered after Democrats rejected a temporary funding measure over disputes tied to immigration enforcement, border security, and cuts to bloated climate and housing programs. As federal agencies scale back operations, hundreds of thousands of federal workers have been furloughed or left working without pay.
President Trump placed direct responsibility for the impasse on Schumer, calling the stalemate “the Schumer Shutdown.”
“You can call it the Schumer shutdown or the Democrats’ shutdown — call it whatever you want,” Trump said. “We will not be extorted on this crazy plot of theirs.”
The president also took aim at Schumer’s leadership, mocking his political standing within a party increasingly dominated by radical progressives.
“He’s even losing to AOC, plus three,” Trump quipped, referring to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and her left-wing allies.
Trump accused Democrats of holding out to protect “wasteful programs” and “pet projects” that his administration has sought to eliminate.
“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,” Trump said.
He praised Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought for standing firm against runaway spending, jokingly referencing Democrats’ nickname for him.
“You know, they call him Darth Vader. I call him a fine man,” Trump said. “But he’s cutting Democrat priorities, and they’re never going to get them back.”
The president urged Democrats to “stop the madness” and reopen the government, emphasizing the strength of the U.S. economy under his leadership.
“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 said. “So I’m asking them to be smart. It’s not working. They’re getting killed in the polls.”
Republican lawmakers have backed Trump’s stance, arguing that Democrats are weaponizing the shutdown to block his immigration enforcement measures and budget cuts aimed at restoring fiscal discipline.
Democrats, in turn, claim the president is using the standoff to strengthen executive power and force through policy reforms without their approval — a charge the White House has flatly denied.
The clash has exposed deep fractures inside the Democratic Party, with younger progressives urging Schumer to adopt a more confrontational posture against Trump, even as moderates fear voter backlash over the prolonged shutdown.
President Trump, who has seized on those divisions, mocked Schumer’s declining influence in a post to social media late Tuesday.
“I think he’s mentally gone. He’s been beat up by young radical lunatics — and I think Chuck Schumer is, he’s gonzo,” Trump wrote.
A senior White House official reaffirmed the administration’s resolve, saying negotiations would continue but without concessions.
“The president has been clear — the government will reopen when Democrats stop holding it hostage for political gain,” the aide said.
With Senate Democrats showing no sign of relenting, the standoff threatens to stretch into November — testing not only Washington’s endurance, but also voters’ patience ahead of next year’s congressional races.