With a government shutdown looming, conservative TV host Eric Bolling escalated tensions by calling on President Donald Trump to fire “800,000 Democrats” if Congress fails to pass a funding bill. His remarks came during Monday’s broadcast of his show Bolling! on Real America’s Voice, as lawmakers from both parties remain deadlocked in negotiations to keep the government running.
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Bolling’s Controversial Demand
During his program, Bolling described Democrats as “terrorists” in the ongoing standoff, insisting Republicans should not concede to their demands. “Number one, we’ve been told never to negotiate with terrorists. Democrats are playing terrorists right now. Don’t negotiate with them,” he declared, before urging Trump to “shut the d— thing down” or dismiss hundreds of thousands of federal workers he claimed were Democrats.
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Push to Fire Workers
Bolling suggested the president could cut nearly one-third of the federal workforce as leverage against Democrats. “Fire 800,000 Democrats who work there. There are about 2.4 million people who work in the federal government. Fire a third of them. Make sure they’re all Democrats. See if they want to negotiate then,” he said. His remarks echoed frustration among Trump allies who view the standoff as a political battle rather than a fiscal one.
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Shutdown Looms Large
The remarks come as Congress faces a midnight deadline to pass a spending bill that would keep federal operations running through the year. Failure to reach a deal would force hundreds of thousands of employees to be furloughed, while others deemed essential—such as law enforcement and air traffic control- would continue to work without pay. Both parties remain firm in their positions, making a shutdown increasingly likely.
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Political Rhetoric Intensifies
Bolling’s attack highlights the rising hostility between Democrats and Republicans over government funding. His framing of Democrats as “terrorists” reflects the growing use of inflammatory language in partisan media. While such rhetoric excites core supporters, it risks further entrenching divisions in an already fractured political climate.
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Threats to Social Programs
Republicans have tied funding negotiations to their push for cuts in social safety net programs. Proposals on the table include reductions to Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps. Democrats have vowed to block such measures, framing them as harmful to low-income families.
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Symbol of Wider Divide
Bolling’s call to “fire Democrats” is seen by critics as a symbolic but dangerous reflection of the zero-sum mentality shaping Washington debates. Rather than focusing on policy compromises, the rhetoric underscores how both sides are preparing for blame games once the shutdown hits, with ordinary federal workers caught in the middle.