Trump isn’t canceling travel, golf, or his ballroom, even with the government shuttered and 750,000 furloughed federal employees

In previous shutdowns — including during Trump’s first term — presidents typically scaled back their timelines. With staff deemed “non-essential” sent home, the White House has often sought to appear sympathetic to Americans affected by disruptions to health care, veterans benefits and other key services.

The current shutdown has put about 750,000 federal employees on furlough, while others are working without pay. Funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, expires after Friday — affecting 1 in 8 Americans who rely on it for help with grocery shopping.

However, it has been business as usual for Trump over the past 29 days.

“It’s like that country song: ‘Sometimes falling feels like flying for a while,'” said Paul Begala, a Democratic strategist and former adviser to President Bill Clinton, who oversaw two rounds of shutdowns between 1995 and 1996. “They seem to be saying, ‘So far, so good, man.'” He adds.

Building a dance hall, golf, fundraising and trips

Trump is on a six-day tour of Asia, after a recent whirlwind visit to the Middle East to celebrate a US-brokered ceasefire in Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza. He hosted a White House fundraiser for major donors to his $300 million ballroom that saw construction crews demolish the East Wing, and he held another fundraiser at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida.

Likewise, Cabinet members are on the right track. Vice President J.D. Vance traveled to Israel, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem went to Portland, Oregon, to denounce protests there, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth got a first-hand look at TOPGUN, the US Navy’s elite combat weapons school in Nevada.

Only 32% of staff in the Executive Office of the President were scheduled to take furloughs during the current shutdown, according to data in an emergency report from the White House Budget Office. That’s down from 61% during the last shutdown in 2018-19, during Trump’s first term. Nearly half of the team of housekeepers, ushers, valets and servants currently work at the Executive Mansion. Last time, more than 70% were furloughed.

It is often difficult to know that a closure has occurred with a large number of employees remaining in their offices.

“I don’t even know if they’re supposed to be working, but they’re not going to miss a day,” Trump said during an event last week.

It’s a departure from Trump’s first term, when he canceled weekend golf tournaments and canceled a planned trip to Mar-a-Lago for Christmas during the 2018 shutdown, which extended into the new year. He made a surprise visit to visit troops in Iraq at the time, but canceled his plans to go to the Swiss Alps to attend the World Economic Forum.

When hosting Clemson University football players to celebrate the NCAA football championship, Trump brought burgers and fries from McDonald’s, Burger King and Wendy’s and pizza from Domino’s due to the White House staff being furloughed.

This time, the president invited Republican senators to a lunch that also included burgers. But the staff made it. “They serve great food at the White House,” Trump said.

‘Smarter approach’

Proceeding as if there is no shutdown has some political advantages for Trump, allies say: It allows him to appear presidential while avoiding bickering in congress.

“It’s a much smarter approach,” said Mark Short, former Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff.

In Trump’s first shutdown, he rejected a congressional compromise to force the government to shut down — in an attempt to gain funding to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. He then appointed Pence as the lead negotiator to end the shutdown while involving his son-in-law, Jared Kushner — creating an image of the pair having to go to Capitol Hill.

“In the first round, he was very clear with the cameras: He said he wanted closure. He claimed ownership,” Short said. this time? “The White House has been clear about not having it.”

In 1995, Begala recalled his strategy talk with Clinton during a sweaty summer trip to Fort McNair in Washington, telling the president that Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich and his party “think they can set you up” to make cuts to Medicare by threatening to shut it down.

Clinton responded, “My favorite movie is High Noon,” Begala recalled, referring to the 1952 Western in which marshals stand up to outlaws. “They do that – and then I have a Gary Cooper moment, in the afternoon. “That’s easy.”

When Gingrich later came to the White House to negotiate, Begala said Clinton refused to budge, even though some advisers urged him to reach an agreement. Ultimately, voters blamed Republicans in Congress more than the White House for the government shutdown, and Clinton was easily re-elected in 1996.

“It could have gone badly for Clinton,” Begala said. “But he realized that standing strong and having a Gary Cooper moment would be good for him.”

Previous White Houses have highlighted the effects of the lockdown

During the 16-day government shutdown in 2013, President Barack Obama canceled a trip to four Asian countries and missed the massive Congressional Hispanic Caucus. His agenda included events aimed at showing the effects of the shutdown, including a visit to a Maryland construction company that benefited from the type of federal business loans that were at risk with the government shutdown.

In 2019, as the shutdown continued, Trump White House officials acknowledged feeling pressure to end the shutdown, concerned that Trump’s poll numbers might be affected. This time, the administration’s public messaging has been to blame Democrats while signaling that it is willing to wait — even warning of upcoming travel delays over the Thanksgiving holiday.

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement: “President Trump continues to work day and night on behalf of the American people.” “The entire administration, including the President, will continue to shine a spotlight on the workers and families who are suffering because of Democrats’ decision to shut down the government.”

Bill Daley, Obama’s White House chief of staff in the years leading up to the 2013 shutdown, said Trump is not acting as if he feels political pressure to reopen the government, even before next Tuesday’s gubernatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey — both home to large federal workforces.

“I think he thinks it helps him, until the bottom falls out, and I don’t know if he will,” Daly said.

Democrats are demanding an extension of expired tax breaks that helped millions of people afford health insurance, while Republicans are refusing to negotiate until the government reopens.

Trump has said the government should reopen, but he has also used the shutdown to cut federal positions and target programs favored by Democrats, while redirecting money to his own priorities — such as covering military payrolls. The president even said of closed museums: “Maybe we should just open them,” although that has not happened yet.

Meanwhile, Americans are divided over who is to blame.

Nearly 6 in 10 say Trump and Republicans in Congress bear “a great deal” or “a great deal” 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.

Mike McCurry, White House press secretary under Clinton, said Democrats had not yet settled on a clear closing message that resonated. Trump enjoys a presidency that enables him to present his point of view, but McCurry noted that he was “mercurial.”

“We’re unlikely to have clear winners or losers after this,” Macari said. “It’s going to be a little confusing.”