In shutdowns past — including during Trump’s first term — presidents normally scaled back their schedules. With staffers deemed “non-essential” sent home, the White House often sought to appear sympathetic to Americans affected by disruptions to health care, veterans benefits and other key services.
Nonetheless, it’s been mostly business as usual for Trump over the past 29 days.
“It’s like that country song: ‘Sometimes falling feels like flying for a little while,’” said Paul Begala, a Democratic strategist and former adviser to President Bill Clinton, who presided over two shutdowns between 1995 and 1996. “They seem to be like, ‘So far, so good, man.’”
Members of the Cabinet have similarly hit the road. Vice President JD Vance traveled to Israel, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem went to Portland, Oregon, to decry protests there, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth got a firsthand look at TOPGUN, the U.S. Navy’s elite fighter weapons school in Nevada.
It’s often been hard to tell a shutdown is happening with so many staffers remaining at their desks.
“I don’t even know if they’re supposed to be working, but they wouldn’t miss a day,” Trump said during an event last week.
This time, the president had Republican senators over for a lunch that featured burgers, too. But staff made them. “They do great food at the White House,” Trump said.
Barreling ahead like there’s no shutdown has some political advantages for Trump, allies say: It allows him to look presidential while avoiding congressional bickering.
“It’s a much smarter approach,” said Marc Short, chief of staff to former Vice President Mike Pence.
In Trump’s first-term shutdown, he rejected a congressional compromise to force the government to close — an attempt to win funding for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Then, he named Pence as lead negotiator to end the shutdown while involving his son-in-law Jared Kushner — creating the visual of the pair having to go to Capitol Hill.
“The first go-around, he was pretty clear with cameras rolling: He said he wanted the shutdown. He claimed ownership,” Short said. This time? “The White House has been clear about not owning it.”
Back in 1995, Begala recalled talking strategy with Clinton during a sweaty summer run at Fort McNair in Washington, and telling the president that Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich and his party “think they can roll you” to make cuts to Medicare by threatening a shutdown.
Clinton responded: “‘My favorite movie’s ‘High Noon,’” Begala recalled, referring to the 1952 Western in which a marshal stands up to outlaws. ”‘They do that — then I just have a Gary Cooper, High Noon moment. That’s easy.’”
When Gingrich later came to the White House to negotiate, Begala said Clinton refused to budge, even though some advisers urged him to cut a deal. Voters ultimately blamed congressional Republicans more than the White House for the government closing, and Clinton was easily reelected in 1996.
“That could have really gone badly for Clinton,” Begala said. “But he did understand that standing strong and having a Gary Cooper moment would be really good for him.”
During the 16-day government shutdown of 2013, President Barack Obama scrapped a four-country Asia trip and skipped the swanky Congressional Hispanic Caucus gala. His schedule featured events meant to show the effects of the shutdown, including visiting a Maryland construction firm that benefited from the kind of federal business loans being jeopardized with the government shuttered.
“President Trump is continuing to work night and day on behalf of American people,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement. “The entire administration, including the president, will continue highlighting the workers and families who are suffering because of the Democrats’ decision to shut down the government.”
“My guess is, he thinks it helps him,” Daley said, “until — and I don’t know if it will — the bottom falls out.”
Americans, meanwhile, are divided on who’s to blame.
Mike McCurry, a White House press secretary under Clinton, said Democrats have yet to settle on a clear shutdown message that has resonated. Trump has the presidency to deliver his take, but McCurry noted he has been “mercurial.”
“It is not likely we’re going to have clear winners or losers after this,” McCurry said. “It’s going to be a bit of a muddle.”
