In Reply to: Where's WalDumb? posted by mh on October 03, 2025 at 10:07:04
It was not complicated: All Donald Trump had to say was that Democrats are causing the government shutdown, while he is the protector of the American people’s interests. Instead, he said this to a gaggle of reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday:
"We can do things during the shutdown that are irreversible, that are bad for them [i.e. Democrats] and irreversible by them, like cutting vast numbers of people out, cutting things that they like, cutting programs that they like. And you all know Russell Vought, he’s become very popular recently, because he can trim the budget to a level that you couldn’t do any other way. So they’re taking a risk by having a shutdown. Because of the shutdown, we can do things medically and other ways, including benefits. We can cut large numbers of people. We don’t want to do that, but we don’t want fraud, waste and abuse."
In other words, Democrats say that they’re trying to keep Trump from cutting medical benefits, to which Trump basically responded: Yep, I’m going to cut medical benefits.
When other politicians hand their opponents such a perfect talking point on a silver platter that way, it’s usually the occasion for a vigorous round of mockery and contempt, as both enemies and allies marvel at how only a spectacular idiot with no political skills would say such a thing.