Trump only 'making matters worse' as government shutdown wreaks havoc

A banner depicting U.S. President Donald Trump hangs on a building on the first day of a partial government shutdown in Washington, D.C., U.S., October 1, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard

When GOP and Democratic lawmakers were unable to reach a funding agreement by the end of September, a partial shutdown of the United States' federal government got underway. Thousands of federal workers are now furloughed.

President Donald Trump, along with Vice President JD Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana), are blaming Democrats for the shutdown. But MSNBC's Steve Benen, in an October 1 column, laments that Trump did nothing to prevent the shutdown and is only "making matters worse" now that the shutdown is underway.

"The day before the government shutdown deadline," Benen explains, "Donald Trump left little doubt that he was not serious about trying to avoid a crisis. On the contrary, four hours after a White House meeting with congressional leaders and roughly 28 hours before the deadline, the president thought it'd be a good idea to amplify an AI-generated video attacking Democrats — whose votes will be needed to resolve the standoff — that was widely panned as vulgar, racist and dishonest."

Benen continues, "One day later, Trump, who likes to characterize himself as a world-class dealmaker and negotiator, could've spent time working on a possible solution. Instead, he promoted another AI-generated video attacking Democrats…. This was not the move of a responsible adult trying to prevent a breakdown. Rather, it's what one might expect from an intemperate tween, more interested in trolling perceived enemies than responsible governance."

The "Rachel Maddow Show" producer describes Trump as "the wild card" in the shutdown debacle.

"With just hours remaining before the deadline," Benen observes, "Trump boasted, 'A lot of good can come down from shutdowns,' which indicated that he was looking forward to the mess rather trying to avoid it."

Steve Benen's full MSNBC column is available at this link.

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