Republicans John Thune and Mike Johnson during a news conference at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on October 3, 2025.
(Graeme Sloan / Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Donald Trump has plunged the nation into another government shutdown. I spoke with my Nation colleague Chris Lehmann about the larger political stakes. We take up Trump’s shifting rhetoric, which has started with false and racist claims about undocumented immigrants receiving benefits and now seems to be about gloating over austerity. We also discuss the Democratic Party’s response, and the way the base of the party has forced the leadership to take a stronger stance. Chris’s article on the shutdown can be found here.
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