An age-old adage claims there are but two constants in this life — death and taxes — but I believe another has joined the mix: Donald Trump‘s inability to take responsibility for anything.
There are exceptions, of course. I should really say that the 78-year-old is incapable of taking responsibility for his wrongs. He’s more than happy to take responsibility for anything good, including things he has no involvement with, but an unpopular decision? Don’s all but guaranteed to leave a cartoonish puff of air behind as he sprints in the opposite direction.
Which is exactly what the flabby felon did in mid-December, as the government he’s preparing to run eyes yet another shutdown. This one could last all the way through the holiday season, if Republicans get their way, making it among the longest in United States history. And, despite the fact Trump himself encouraged the shutdown, he wants to make sure the blame falls on a different set of shoulders.
The obnoxious former president took to Truth Social — yet another business interest he’ll refuse to disentangle himself from come January — to issue an unabashedly self-serving message about the government shutdown. “If there is going to be a shutdown of government, let it begin now, under the Biden Administration, not after January 20th, under ‘TRUMP,'” the post proclaims. “This is a Biden problem to solve, but if Republicans can help solve it, they will!”
The government is headed toward a shutdown precisely because Trump insists on brainless inclusions in the deal, but he’s not interested in taking the blame. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson even drafted a bipartisan bill that was seen as plenty adequate by both sides of the aisle, but it didn’t raise the debt ceiling to give Trump broad spending power, so he killed it. His alternate suggestion — which would have increased the debt limit for the first half of Trump’s term — was soundly smacked down when it came to a vote, so it’s Trump’s way or the highway.
In true Trumpian fashion, the unflinchingly selfish president-elect is perfectly happy to shut down the government completely if he doesn’t get his way. He sees little issue with it, since — in his vacant mind — the blame will fall on President Joe Biden, as the shutdown would happen during his term. Then Trump can sweep in, on Jan. 20, force a disgustingly inadequate bill through, and paint himself as the hero.
The issue everyone who isn’t a self-centered slob recognizes is the broad-reaching negative effects of a government shutdown. Just because it doesn’t directly impact Trump doesn’t mean it won’t impact millions. A shutdown would mean that millions of government employees head into the holidays with no paychecks in sight, and it would inevitably cause hiccups across numerous sectors as we potentially top the record — already held by Trump — for the longest shutdown in history.
The deadline for a government spending bill is Dec. 21 at 12:01am, and the chances that our national leaders can agree on something by then are extremely thin. Demented Don may truly get his way once again, and damn the consequences for regular American citizens.