Both Trump and the Democrats reportedly think they have the upper hand in the shutdown fight

Donald Trump
(Image credit: Saul Loeb / Getty Images)

Little progress has been made to resolve the partial government shutdown nearly a week after it began, as President Trump and his Democratic opponents are both apparently under the impression they have the upper hand in the fight.

Privately, Trump has been saying that the shutdown is working out great for him politically and that the Democrats are "screwing themselves" by not agreeing to his wall demands, The Daily Beast reports. The partial shutdown began when Trump refused to sign a spending bill that did not include the $5 billion in border wall funding he has demanded.

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.