{"id":250553,"date":"2025-10-30T08:48:09","date_gmt":"2025-10-30T08:48:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/250553\/"},"modified":"2025-10-30T08:48:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-30T08:48:09","slug":"what-shutdown-trump-isnt-canceling-travel-golf-or-his-ballroom-even-with-the-government-shuttered","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/250553\/","title":{"rendered":"What shutdown? Trump isn’t canceling travel, golf or his ballroom even with the government shuttered"},"content":{"rendered":"

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump<\/a> isn’t curtailing travel. He’s not avoiding golf or making do with a skeleton staff in the West Wing. Even hamburgers served at the White House aren’t from McDonalds<\/a>, this time. <\/p>\n

In shutdowns past \u2014 including during Trump’s first term \u2014 presidents normally scaled back their schedules. With staffers deemed \u201cnon-essential\u201d sent home, the White House often sought to appear sympathetic to Americans affected by disruptions to health care, veterans benefits and other key services.<\/p>\n

The current one has left around 750,000 federal employees furloughed<\/a> and others working without pay. Funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, is lapsing after Friday<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Nonetheless, it’s been mostly business as usual for Trump over the past 29 days.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like that country song: \u2018Sometimes falling feels like flying for a little while,\u2019” said Paul Begala, a Democratic strategist and former adviser to President Bill Clinton, who presided over two shutdowns between 1995 and 1996. “They seem to be like, \u2018So far, so good, man.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump is on a six-day swing<\/a> through Asia, after a recent, whirlwind Middle East visit<\/a>. He hosted a White House fundraiser for major donors to his $300 million ballroom<\/a> that has seen construction crews tear down the East Wing<\/a>, and held another fundraiser at his Florida estate. <\/p>\n

Members of the Cabinet have similarly hit the road. Vice President JD Vance traveled to Israel, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem went to Oregon and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth toured TOPGUN, the U.S. Navy\u2019s elite fighter weapons school in Nevada. <\/p>\n

Only 32% of staff in the Executive Office of the President were set to be furloughed during the current shutdown, according a White House budget office contingency report<\/a>. That’s down from 61% during the last shutdown<\/a> in 2018-19, in Trump’s first term. About half of the Executive Mansion’s team that includes housekeepers, ushers, valets and butlers are currently working. Last time, more than 70% were furloughed.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s often been hard to tell a shutdown is happening with so many staffers remaining at their desks. <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t even know if they\u2019re supposed to be working, but they wouldn\u2019t miss a day,\u201d Trump said during an event last week. <\/p>\n

It’s a departure from Trump’s first term, when he cut out golf and canceled a planned trip to Florida for Christmas<\/a> during the 2018 shutdown, which stretched into the new year. He made a surprise visit to visit troops in Iraq<\/a> then, but nixed plans to go to the Swiss alps for the World Economic Forum.<\/p>\n

When hosting Clemson University football players celebrating their NCAA football championship, Trump brought in burgers and fries<\/a> from McDonald\u2019s and Domino’s pizza because of White House staff furloughs.<\/p>\n

This time, the president had Republican senators over for a lunch that featured burgers, too. But staff made them. \u201cThey do great food at the White House,\u201d Trump said. <\/p>\n

Some say barreling ahead like there’s no shutdown has some political advantages for Trump, allowing him to look presidential while avoiding congressional bickering. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a much smarter approach,\u201d said Marc Short, chief of staff to former Vice President Mike Pence.<\/p>\n

In Trump’s first-term shutdown, he rejected a congressional compromise to force the government to close \u2014 an attempt to win funding to wall off the U.S.-Mexico border. Then, he named Pence as lead negotiator to end the shutdown while involving his son-in-law Jared Kushner \u2014 creating the visual of them having to go to Capitol Hill.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first go-around, he was pretty clear with cameras rolling: He said he wanted the shutdown. He claimed ownership,\u201d Short said. This time? \u201cThe White House has been clear about not owning it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Back in 1995, Begala recalled talking strategy with Clinton during a sweaty summer run at Fort McNair in Washington, and telling the president that Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich and his party \u201cthink they can roll you,\u201d forcing cuts to Medicare by threatening a shutdown. <\/p>\n

Clinton responded: \u201c\u2018My favorite movie\u2019s \u2018High Noon,\u2019\u201d Begala recalled, meaning the Western in which a marshal stands up to outlaws. \u201d\u2018They do that — then I just have a Gary Cooper, High Noon moment. That\u2019s easy.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n

When Gingrich later came to the White House to negotiate, Begala said Clinton wouldn’t budge, even though some advisers urged him to cut a deal. Voters ultimately blamed congressional Republicans more than the White House for the government closing, and Clinton was easily reelected in 1996.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat could have really gone badly for Clinton,” Begala said. \u201cBut he did understand that standing strong, and having a Gary Cooper moment, would be really good for him.\u201d <\/p>\n

Trump could probably find a way to end the current shutdown if he wanted to prioritize it, said Leon Panetta, who worked to end past government closures as Clinton\u2019s chief of staff. But Trump’s \u201cattention is focused on everything but sitting down and getting both parties together to resolve this issue,” Panetta said.<\/p>\n

During the 16-day government shutdown of 2013, President Barack Obama scrapped a four-country Asia trip and skipped the Congressional Hispanic Caucus gala. His schedule featured events meant to show the shutdown’s effects, including visiting a Maryland construction firm that benefited from the kind of federal loans jeopardized with the government shuttered. <\/p>\n

In 2019, as that shutdown dragged on<\/a>, Trump’s White House officials acknowledged feeling pressure to end it. This time, the administration’s approach has been to blame the Democrats, while signaling that it’s prepared to wait \u2014 even warning of coming travel delays during the Thanksgiving holidays. <\/p>\n

\u201cPresident Trump is continuing to work night and day on behalf of American people,” said White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson. \u201cThe entire administration, including the president, will continue highlighting the workers and families who are suffering because of the Democrats\u2019 decision to shut down the government.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bill Daley, a White House chief of staff to Obama prior to the 2013 shutdown, said Trump isn’t acting like he’s feeling political heat to reopen the government, even before next Tuesday’s gubernatorial elections in Virginia<\/a> and New Jersey<\/a> \u2014 both home to sizable federal workforces.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy guess is, he thinks it helps him,” Daley said, \u201cuntil \u2014 and I don’t know if it will \u2014 the bottom falls out.\u201d <\/p>\n

Democrats are demanding an extension<\/a> of expiring tax credits that have helped millions of people afford health insurance, while Republicans say they won’t negotiate until the government is reopened.<\/p>\n

Trump has said the shutdown must end, but also used it to cut federal positions and target programs Democrats favor<\/a>, while redirecting funds to his own priorities \u2014 like covering military paychecks. The president has even said of closed museums, \u201cWe should probably just open them.\u201d <\/p>\n

Americans, meanwhile, are divided on who’s to blame. <\/p>\n

Roughly 6 in 10 say<\/a> Trump and congressional Republicans have \u201ca great deal\u201d or \u201cquite a bit\u201d of responsibility for the shutdown, while 54% say the same about Democrats in Congress, according to a recent poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mike McCurry, a White House press secretary under Clinton, said Democrats have yet to settle on a clear shutdown message that has resonated. Trump has the presidency to deliver his take, but McCurry noted he has been \u201cmercurial.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cIt is not likely we\u2019re going to have clear winners or losers after this,” McCurry said. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be a bit of a muddle.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump isn’t curtailing travel. He’s not avoiding golf or making do with a skeleton…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":250554,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[566],"tags":[148707,4225,64,63,482,755,1788,84,85,96361,8987],"class_list":{"0":"post-250553","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-golf","8":"tag-148707","9":"tag-article","10":"tag-au","11":"tag-australia","12":"tag-general-news","13":"tag-golf","14":"tag-labor","15":"tag-politics","16":"tag-sports","17":"tag-u-s-government-shutdown","18":"tag-washington-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/250553","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=250553"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/250553\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/250554"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=250553"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=250553"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=250553"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}