President Donald Trump is shifting his approach to the government shutdown, effectively letting the focus move from the White House to Congress as lawmakers remain deadlocked over funding. This isn’t the first time the government has shut down with Trump in office, but this time around, the heat is squarely on the legislative branch as a stalemate over key healthcare provisions continues between Senate Republicans and Democrats.
It’s a noticeable change from the 35-day shutdown during his first term, which was primarily centered on his demand for border wall funding, a policy priority he famously “owned” at the time. This current situation seems to be giving the President a perfect opportunity to step back and let the Democrats bear the political consequences, according to Fox. Libertarian political columnist Kristin Tate explained that “By staying relatively quiet right now, President Trump is allowing Democrats to ‘own’ the shutdown.”
