Hours before the start of a federal government shutdown, President-elect Donald Trump doubled-down Friday on his insistence that a debt ceiling increase be included in any deal — and if not, let the closures “start now.”
Watch White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre’s news briefing in the player above.
Trump, who is not yet even sworn into the White House, issued his latest demand as House Speaker Mike Johnson arrived early at the Capitol, instantly holing up with some of the most conservative Republicans in the House Freedom Caucus who helped sink Trump’s bill in a spectacular Thursday evening flop. The clock is now racing toward the midnight deadline to fund government operations.
“If there is going to be a shutdown of government, let it begin now,” Trump posted on social media.
The debt is because we allow oligarchs to write the budget. They line their pockets, and then borrow money to pay for necessary services. It’s a ponzi scheme that leaves our children holding the bag, which is why they are hoarding wealth and desperate to eliminate all inheritance taxes.