President Donald Trump has reportedly ridiculed House Speaker Mike Johnson in private, declaring himself both “the president and the speaker” as the federal government shutdown nears its fourth week. According to a New York Times report, Trump’s comments highlight growing tensions within Washington as the House remains inactive and critical funding negotiations stall. The shutdown, now one of the longest in recent memory, has prompted heated political clashes and accusations of using American families as “leverage.”
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Trump’s Private Remarks Leak
The New York Times report claims Trump privately told aides, “I’m the speaker and the president,” a comment insiders interpreted as a jab at Speaker Mike Johnson. Two individuals familiar with the exchange said Trump made the remark while discussing the stalled congressional session. The U.S. House of Representatives has been inactive for nearly four weeks, marking a historic delay amid a shutdown that began on October 1 when the previous funding bill expired.
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Congress Stuck in Gridlock
Speaker Johnson has refused to reconvene the House until the Senate passes a government funding bill, effectively leaving Washington at a standstill. The Republican-controlled House and the Democrat-led Senate remain deeply divided over spending priorities. The shutdown has already stretched through the entire month of October, with no sign of compromise. According to an Economist/YouGov poll conducted from October 17 to 20, about 49 percent of Americans said the shutdown has “not at all” affected them personally, though economists warn the long-term impact could be severe.
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Military Pay Secured by Trump
Amid the budget impasse, Trump announced that all members of the U.S. military will continue to receive pay during the shutdown. The president said service members would be compensated using leftover funds from the Fiscal Year 2026 budget that Congress had already approved. The move was widely viewed as an attempt to protect military families from financial uncertainty as federal workers face furloughs and delayed payments.
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Short-Term Deal Rejected
Republicans proposed a short-term measure to fund the government at current levels through November 21, hoping to buy time for broader negotiations. However, Democrats blocked the bill, demanding that it also address healthcare-related provisions. The rejection underscored the political deadlock that has paralyzed Washington, leaving hundreds of thousands of government employees without pay and major programs suspended.
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Democrats Face Backlash Over Comments
Massachusetts Representative Katherine Clark, the Democratic Minority Whip, faced intense criticism after admitting during a Fox News interview that her party viewed the shutdown as a “leverage” point. “Shutdowns are terrible. And of course, there will be families that are going to suffer. We take that responsibility very seriously, but it is one of the few leverage times we have,” Clark said. Her remarks, which quickly spread online, were replayed multiple times on White House briefing room screens throughout the day.
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Republicans Condemn Democratic Remarks
Republican lawmakers swiftly condemned Clark’s statement, accusing Democrats of political cruelty. Wisconsin Representative Derrick Van Orden posted on X, “This is exactly what Chuck Schumer meant when he said, ‘Every day gets better for us.’” Texas Senator John Cornyn added, “It is shameful to use the American people as leverage to push your radical agenda. Millions of Americans are suffering. Democrats don’t care.” Iowa Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks also blasted the comment as “disgraceful,” claiming Democratic leaders are “perfectly okay with American families suffering.”
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Trump’s Budget Strategy and Criticism of Democrats
On the first day of the shutdown, Trump announced plans to meet with Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought to evaluate “Democrat Agencies” he deemed unnecessary. “We will determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, should be cut, and whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent,” he said. The statement reinforced Trump’s message that federal spending cuts remain central to his administration’s fiscal strategy, even as critics accuse him of deepening the crisis.