Former President Donald Trump took to his Truth Social platform late Sunday evening to sound off on the looming government shutdown set to kick in at the end of the week with a rather harsh evaluation of congressional Republicans' past efforts to stop President Biden's agenda.
"The Republicans lost big on Debt Ceiling, got NOTHING, and now are worried that they will be BLAMED for the Budget Shutdown," Trump said of the events leading up to this week. "Wrong!!! Whoever is President will be blamed, in this case, Crooked (as Hell!) Joe Biden!" the former president said of his apparent competition for the presidency in 2024.
Trump is right on that point, reinforced by an ABC News/Washington Post poll that found 40 percent of Americans would "chiefly blame" President Biden and Democrats in Congress for a shutdown while 33 percent said they'd blame congressional Republicans.
"Our Country is being systematically destroyed by the Radical Left Marxists, Fascists and Thugs - THE DEMOCRATS," Trump continued on Truth Social before advising House Republicans that shutting down the government ought to be used to achieve their funding goals.
"UNLESS YOU GET EVERYTHING, SHUT IT DOWN! Close the Border, stop the Weaponization of “Justice,” and End Election Interference - WE MUST HAVE HONEST ELECTIONS," said Trump before launching into an attack on Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).
"It’s time Republicans learned how to fight! Are you listening Mitch McConnell, the weakest, dumbest, and most conflicted 'Leader' in U.S. Senate history?" Trump asked. "HE’S ALREADY GIVEN THE DEMOCRATS EVERYTHING, THEY CAN’T BELIEVE HOW LUCKY THEY GOT. WE NEED NEW, & REAL, REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP IN THE UNITED STATES SENATE, NOT A CLONE OF MITCH, & WE NEED IT NOW!!!
Congress remains in recess on Monday due to Yom Kippur, and when lawmakers return in full force on Tuesday they'll have fewer than 150 hours before a shutdown kicks in. Before the weekend, multiple attempts to pass just the rules to debate spending bills in the House failed at the hands of Republicans, setting a less than optimistic outlook for this week's last-minute attempts to avert a shutdown.