The Schumer Shutdown has now entered its second week, with Democrats stubbornly refusing to fund the government unless they get their way on $1.5 trillion in far-left spending demands. It’s the same old playbook: manufacture a crisis, blame Republicans, and hope the media runs interference. But this time, even some in the press seem to be growing skeptical of the Democrats’ political theater. So why keep the government closed?
According to GOP leaders, the timing is no coincidence. They believe Democrats are intentionally stalling to align the shutdown drama with massive anti-Trump protests planned for Oct. 18 in Washington, D.C., and other cities nationwide. The left is turning a budget standoff into yet another coordinated attack on the president.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy suggested this theory this week, painting a picture of Democratic lawmakers who’d rather stand with street protesters than federal workers missing paychecks.
The comments, made on the same Fox Business show on Oct. 13, echo those of congressional Republicans who have blamed the now two-week-long shutdown on Democrats, saying they wanted to keep the government closed until after the protests in hopes they can show party activists they are pushing back on the Trump administration.
In criticizing the rallies, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said: “’No Kings’ means no paychecks, no paychecks and no government.”
Liberal groups have criticized elected Democrats for not doing enough in Congress to resist Trump’s changes to the federal government. Senate Democrats are refusing to approve a short-term funding measure for the federal government, demanding Republicans restore large cuts to Obamacare and Medicaid that will cost millions of people their health insurance.
Duffy took the argument further, questioning the organic nature of these demonstrations. He suggested paid agitators, specifically mentioning Antifa, are pulling the strings behind the scenes. According to Duffy, the real power broker isn’t even Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer anymore. “Democrats want to wait for a significant ‘No Kings’ protest, while the reality is that it’s not Schumer who is in control of the Senate. It’s the ‘No Kings’ protesters or organizers calling the shots,” he said. In other words, the Democratic Party has outsourced its spine to professional protesters.
ICYMI: Dana Bash Humiliates Hakeem Jeffries Over His Shutdown Theater
House Speaker Mike Johnson characterized the upcoming demonstrations as “hate America” rallies populated by “the pro-Hamas faction and antifa supporters.” Johnson accused Democrats of stalling government operations specifically to avoid angering their activist base, which apparently demands visible resistance to Trump’s administration at any cost. “They’re playing games with real people’s lives. We understand there’s a ‘hate America’ rally scheduled for October 18 on the National Mall, featuring the pro-Hamas faction and Antifa supporters — they’re all coming out,” Johnson said.
So, in the end, it all adds up. Of course, Democrats are dragging their feet on reopening the government — they’re waiting for their big show. The “No Kings” protests are tailor-made for their strategy: drag out the shutdown, rile up the base, and let the media aim all the outrage at President Trump. It’s classic Democrat politics — manufacture chaos, then pretend to be the victims of it.
The truth is, Democrats don’t care about reopening the government. They care about the optics, the headlines, and the chance to play resistance heroes for their activist mob base.
The Schumer Shutdown drags on, and Democrats are fully responsible. Chuck Schumer pushed his party to shut down the government to fund healthcare for illegals — and he’s loving it, saying “every day gets better for us.” The fallout is his, and Americans deserve to know the truth. Get the real story—join now with promo code POTUS47 for 74% off VIP membership.
