Dozy Don Cankles Trump in 2011: The President is to Blame for Shutdown

Trump's Resurfaced Comments Saying That The President Should Be "Blamed" For A Government Shutdown Are Going Viral
Natasha Jokic
Wed, October 1, 2025

Well, the government has shut down again for the first time since 2018. Two facts about 2018: First, it was the longest government shutdown in US history (thus far). Secondly, the president was also Donald Trump.

Bloomberg / Bloomberg via Getty Images

Now, it doesn't seem like ol' Donald has commented on the new shutdown just yet. But good news! He's had lots to say on the matter in the past, especially when Barack Obama was president.

Win McNamee / Getty Images

A resurfaced NowThis video shows Trump's thoughts on the matter over the years. Back in 2011, he called a potential shutdown a "tremendously negative mark on the President of the United States."


David Becker / Getty Images 

"I hear the Democrats are gonna be blamed and the Republicans are gonna be blamed, I actually think the president would be blamed," he said at the time.

Similarly, he said while calling in to Fox News in 2013, "Problems start from the top and they have to get solved from the top and the president's the leader and he's got to get everybody in a room and he's got to lead."


Ben Gabbe / Getty Images

While we're at it, there's also a 2013 tweet where he agreed that if he were in office, a shutdown "would of never happen."

@realdonaldtrump / Via x.com
In short, he appeared keen to emphasize that the "pressure is on the president" in light of a government shutdown.

@realdonaldtrump / Via x.com

Meanwhile, if you go to the White House website right now, the government shutdown clock looks a little different:

White House / Via whitehouse.gov
I mean, who could have ever fathomed that a Republican would be hypocritical...