The federal government has been shut down since since midnight on Saturday, with no end in sight. The military is working without pay, federal government workers are being furloughed and important government services are not available.
This is exactly why millions of Americans voted for Donald Trump — the world’s greatest dealmaker.
“I’m a very good dealmaker, believe me,” Trump said on NBC’s Meet the Press in February 2016.
“I’m a great dealmaker. That’s what I do,” Trump told an audience in December 2015.
“In all fairness to the President he’s never been a dealmaker. Never made deals before,” Trump told CNN in 2013, explaining why Obama couldn’t resolve a government shutdown.
As the government shutdown enters its third day, however, Donald Trump has had no public events, held no meetings, and talked to no reporters. Instead, this is how he’s been spending his time.
Watch videos of himself blaming Obama for the last shutdown
According to the New York Times, Trump spent much of Saturday watch video clips of him blaming Obama for the last shutdown.
On Saturday, the president was left alternately defiant and angry, self-pitying and frustrated. He argued to aides that he did not deserve the blame he was taking, but without a credible deal on the table, there was little for him to do. Irritated to have missed his big event in Florida, Mr. Trump spent much of his day watching old TV clips of him berating President Barack Obama for a lack of leadership during the 2013 government shutdown, a White House aide said, seeming content to sit back and watch the show.
This was a very successful troll by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who pushed these videos on Twitter.
This will be called the #TrumpShutdown. There is no one who deserves the blame for the position we find ourselves in more than President Trump. pic.twitter.com/WE3SH9TpRU
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) January 20, 2018
Posing for photos showing that he was ‘working’
On Saturday, the White House released several photos showing that Trump was working. Of course, if one is actually working, it’s generally not necessary to release photos to prove it.
White House emails: “Photos of President Donald J. Trump working in the White House during the Democrat shutdown” pic.twitter.com/cJzSmalG3p
— Rebecca Ballhaus (@rebeccaballhaus) January 20, 2018
President Trump hard at work today to end the Democrat shutdown, reopen our government, and fund our great military pic.twitter.com/GzUi3tAPGw
— Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) January 21, 2018
Tweeting
Trump has spent a lot of time on Twitter, blaming Democrats for the shutdown and mocking massive protests of his presidency by led by women.
The Democrats are turning down services and security for citizens in favor of services and security for non-citizens. Not good!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 22, 2018
Beautiful weather all over our great country, a perfect day for all Women to March. Get out there now to celebrate the historic milestones and unprecedented economic success and wealth creation that has taken place over the last 12 months. Lowest female unemployment in 18 years!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018
On Monday morning, Robert Costa of the Washington Post reported that Trump was “eager to get involved” in discussions to end the shutdown, but instead was “sticking to Twitter as talks continue.”
Asked a person close to President Trump what he’s up to right now. Their reply: he’s *very* eager to get involved. But so far — as of 11:16 a.m — he’s sticking to Twitter as talks continue, the person said
— Robert Costa (@costareports) January 22, 2018
Making a video for his fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago
Trump was intending to travel to Florida this weekend for a political fundraiser celebrating his inauguration where tickets started at $100,000. He couldn’t make it so he recorded a video instead:
Mr. Trump’s son Eric and daughter-in-law Lara Trump were set to host the event with Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel as the guest of honor.
The president, who spent much of the day upstairs in the White House residence, sent a videotaped message instead of rubbing shoulders with supporters at his Mar-a-Lago property.
Talking to other Republicans on the phone
Trump has held some phone calls, but only with other Republicans. He has not spoken to the Democrats with whom he could actually broker a deal. White House legislative director Marc Short confirmed his lack of outreach to NBC’s Chuck Todd:
MARC SHORT: Well, the president has been involved. Yesterday he was speaking to Leader McConnell, Leader Ryan. He also spoke to Kevin McCarthy. He also met–
CHUCK TODD: Republican, Republican, Republican.
MARC SHORT: –he also met–
CHUCK TODD: No Schumer, no Pelosi.
Short then discussed his meeting with Schumer on Friday, before the shutdown began.