With Democrats continuing to demand a "deal" to reopen the government, President Donald Trump made his position clear on Tuesday: They can all pound sand.
Speaking from the White House, Trump proclaimed that he "will not be extorted" by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and his caucus members, most of whom have repeatedly voted against the House-passed clean continuing resolution. The president went on to call them "obstructionists," stating that Republicans are not going to play along with their hypocritical attempt at breaking precedent.
ALSO SEE: Democrats Walk Right Into the Shutdown Trap
🚨 BREAKING: President Trump in the Rose Garden just told Democrats he will NEVER CAVE to Chuck Schumer on the federal shutdown - NO taxpayer dollars for illegals, ever.
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) October 21, 2025
"I want to just say. From the beginning, our message has been VERY simple: we WILL NOT BE EXTORTED on this… pic.twitter.com/l4pETOu3pN
TRUMP: So, with us, it's the opposite. It's a great bill, we don't need anymore, and I want to just say, from the beginning, our message has been very simple. We will not be restored on this crazy plot of theirs. They've never done this before; nobody has. You always vote for an extension..
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. We're not doing that. They are the obstructionists.
If you've followed politics for more than a few years, then you are likely well-versed in how these shutdown fights go. The minority party kicks and screams for a few weeks, but the majority party refuses to compromise on anything outside of a clean CR. Having been a Republican when the shoe is on the other foot, it's certainly frustrating when you can't extract anything despite the country being spent into oblivion, but that's the precedent.
Over the years, Democrats have shouted from the rooftops that it is improper to negotiate over a shutdown. For example, in 2019, Trump attempted to get funding for a border wall in exchange for ending the then-government shutdown. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, who was leading negotiations at the time and in the majority, outright refused any compromise. Well, what goes around comes around, and now Republicans are in the catbird seat. There is no reason whatsoever for them to do anything but uphold the standards Democrats set in the past when it was convenient for them.
As recently as 2024, Schumer decried the use of shutdowns as a negotiating tool, saying that Republicans "amazingly believe that causing a shutdown is somehow a good thing, if it gets them what they want.” Going all the way back to 2013, Democrats have repeatedly insisted on clean CRs, calling anything else extortion. And while Republicans have shifted their position on shutdowns as well, that has come in response to the total lack of compromise in the past. With Democrats refusing to cede any ground in other shutdown fights, it would be incredibly stupid for Republicans to now let now them establish a double standard whereby the minority party now gets to dictate matters.
The decision to stand firm is the right one, and Trump is unlikely to cave. He's not facing much public pressure, and if anything, public sentiment is turning against Democrats because they are clearly responsible for this shutdown. The government could reopen tomorrow if they ended their filibuster of the clean CR. If Schumer and company would like to continue to test the limits here, it will only get worse for them.
Editor’s Note: The Schumer Shutdown is here. Rather than put the American people first, Chuck Schumer and the radical Democrats forced a government shutdown for healthcare for illegals. They own this.
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