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The president-elect was eager to evade responsibility for the consequences of a potential shutdown even as he blew up a bipartisan deal that would have kept the government open.
- Published Dec. 20, 2024Updated Dec. 21, 2024, 2:23 a.m. ET
President-elect Donald J. Trump, who derailed a bipartisan spending deal in Congress, tried on Friday to escape responsibility for the consequences, saying it would be better to let the government shut down under President Biden’s watch than to allow a politically damaging stalemate once he takes office next month.
“This is a Biden problem to solve, but if Republicans can help solve it, they will!” Mr. Trump said in a social media post Friday morning. Earlier, at 1:16 a.m., Mr. Trump said he wanted Mr. Biden to be blamed for whatever political fallout might come, writing to Republicans: “Remember, the pressure is on whoever is President.”
In other words, let the blame game begin. Mr. Trump’s comment signaled that he understood the clock that was ticking. In 31 days, he will take the oath of office, returning him to power — but also to accountability — after a four-year absence.
Early Saturday, the Senate followed the House in passing a slimmed-down, temporary spending measure, extending funding into mid-March and clearing the way to keep the government open — for now.
But even with a shutdown averted, the episode demonstrated a well-established pattern by Mr. Trump. He often purposely blew up congressional negotiations during his first term, often with a tweet, only to be forced to retreat or give up his position in the face of an angry reaction from both allies and adversaries.
In 2018, Mr. Trump told lawmakers in the Oval Office that he would be “proud” to shut the government down if he did not get funding for a wall along the southern border. After a 35-day shutdown that extended through Christmas and New Year’s Day, Mr. Trump relented, agreeing to Democratic demands without getting the funding for his wall.
