Sen. Angus King, one of the senators who broke with the majority of the Democratic caucus to support a deal to end the federal government shutdown, drew swift anger when defending his vote on Monday morning.
During an appearance on MSNBC‘s “Morning Joe,” King (I-ME) tried to make the case that shutting down the government had only given President Donald Trump a free hand to consolidate power in the White House.
“In terms of standing up to Donald Trump, the shutdown actually gave him more power, Exhibit A being what he’s done with [the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program],” he said. “So, standing up to Donald Trump didn’t work, it actually gave him more power.”
Senate Democrats who supported the deal have been denounced by progressives, and even some moderates, for agreeing to fund the federal government without securing an extension for enhanced tax credits for people who buy health insurance through Affordable Care Act exchanges. The tax credits have been at the center of the shutdown—the longest in US history—but the Democrats who voted with the GOP did so after securing only the Republicans’ claim that they’ll hold a vote on healthcare in the future.
Polls have shown a majority of voters have blamed the Republican Party for the shutdown, and a plurality of respondents to a KFF survey last week said Democrats should hold firm in their demand on healthcare subsidies. Trump said last week that the election results put more pressure on the GOP—not the Democrats—to take action to end the shutdown.
Additionally, the decision to cave on the shutdown came less than a week after Democrats won sweeping victories in key elections where candidates unapologetically stood up to Trump and vowed to fight his administration’s unpopular policies.
Given this, King’s statement that “standing up to Donald Trump didn’t work” was met by swift and immediate blowback.
“Bold choice going with a strategy of ‘we are losers,'” wrote Matt Gertz, senior fellow at Media Matters for America, in a post on X.
“Breaking Points” host Krystal Ball reacted with angry profanity to King’s statement.
“Jesus f---ing Christ,” she fumed. “Resign. Genuinely just f---ing resign.”
Photographer Brett Banditelli accused King and his like-minded Democratic senators who supported the deal of “living in another reality.”
“They’re just DC brained,” he wrote on Bluesky. “They live in a world where Politico and Punchbowl News are the most important publications.”
Indivisible cofounder Leah Greenberg sarcastically imagined Democrats incorporating such “inspiring messaging” about failing to stand up to Trump into fundraising appeals.
Fordham University economist Tony Annett marveled at King’s belief that it was ineffective to stand up to a president with historically low approval ratings, which stood at just over 41% last month according to one poll.
“No wonder their brand is in the toilet,” he said of the Democratic Party.
A Pew Research poll released in late October found that two-thirds of Democratic voters said they were “frustrated” by the party, with the top listed reason being that Democrats have “not pushed back hard enough against the Trump administration.”
