The White House confidently predicted a swift resolution to the government shutdown as it started last month — with White House officials believing Democrats would quickly capitulate.
The fact that it's still going has left President Donald Trump dumbfounded — and furious, insiders told Politico.
As the shutdown enters its second month, the administration's miscalculation has become increasingly apparent, the report stated. "Trump, he's had it with these people, because he knows they're playing politics," said an anonymous White House source. "Nobody thought it was going to last this long."
Trump's frustration boiled over on Thursday when he dramatically called for Republicans to "INITIATE THE NUCLEAR OPTION" and abolish the filibuster to end the shutdown. In a scathing critique of Democrats, he told reporters, "The Democrats just don't know what they're doing. I don't know what's wrong with them. They've become crazed lunatics."
"It's their fault. Everything is their fault. It's so easily solved," Trump continued, insisting he would not meet with Democratic leadership until the government reopens.
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson doubled down, claiming "Democrats won't do what's best for the American people, the nuclear option will need to be invoked."
However, a person close to Trump acknowledged that while the president is serious about eliminating the filibuster, he "knows it's not going to happen." Republicans quickly distanced themselves from Trump's suggestion, with Majority Leader John Thune's office maintaining that his "position on the importance of the legislative filibuster is unchanged."
Democratic leaders pushed back hard. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized Trump's approach, stating, "Good. Trump's decision to cut off SNAP was vindictive and heartless. He was trying to manufacture a hunger crisis so he wouldn't have to fix healthcare."
The shutdown has created significant pressure points, with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program facing potential funding cutoffs and federal workers missing paychecks. A federal judge has now ordered the administration to use emergency funds to support food aid benefits.
Another White House insider suggested Trump's filibuster call was merely "the art of the deal, and trying to point out that the Democrats — it's the only reason we can't open the government back up.
The shutdown appears poised to become the longest in U.S. history, with apparently no clear resolution in sight.