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


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.
At the same time, Democrats don't see Trump as being in any position to make demands, especially seeing as they're about to take control of the House of Representatives. "I don't see this as going well for them," a congressional Democratic aide told The Daily Beast. “The idea that they're somehow doing good in this shows they're clearly living in a Fox News bubble."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
That assessment may be correct based on a recent poll, which found that 47 percent of Americans blame Trump for the shutdown, while only 33 percent blame Democrats. But Trump is only doubling down on his demands, threatening Friday on Twitter to close the southern border entirely if Democrats don't agree to wall funding.
According to The Daily Beast, Trump and his allies like the idea of Nancy Pelosi having to begin her tenure as House speaker by fighting over the wall. "The more the focus is on the wall, the more Pelosi is forced to focus on this fight instead of the investigations," a source close to the White House said.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
Judge nixes wiping medical debt from credit checks
Speed Read Medical debt can now be included in credit reports
-
Grijalva wins Democratic special primary for Arizona
Speed Read She will go up against Republican nominee Daniel Butierez to fill the US House seat her father held until his death earlier this year
-
US inflation jumps as Trump tariffs 'bite'
Speed Read Consumer prices are climbing and the inflation rate rose to its highest level in four months
-
SCOTUS greenlights mass DOE firings
Speed Read The Supreme Court will allow the Trump administration to further shrink the Education Department
-
Cuomo announces third-party run for NYC mayor
Speed Read He will go up against progressive Democratic powerhouse Zohran Mamdani and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams
-
Secret Service 'failures' on Trump shooting
Speed Read Two new reports detail security breakdowns that led to attempts on the president's life
-
Trump set to hit Canada with 35% tariffs
Speed Read The president accused Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney of failing to stop the cross-border flow of fentanyl
-
Mahmoud Khalil files $20M claim over ICE detention
Speed Read This is the 'first damages complaint' brought by an individual targeted by the Trump's administration's 'crackdown' on Gaza war protesters