Trump says Democrats ‘made one mistake’ with government shutdown

President Donald Trump told Fox News Channel’s Maria Bartiromo on “Sunday Morning Futures” that Democrats “made one mistake” with the ongoing government shutdown.

“I think they can stay out forever, I mean, to be honest with you,” Trump said in an interview that will air next Sunday at 10 a.m. “Now, what we do is we cut the Democrats’ programs that we didn’t want because… I mean, they made one mistake. They didn’t realize that that gave me the right to cut the programs that the Republicans never wanted. You know, giveaways, welfare programs, et cetera.” That. We do that, and we cut it off forever.” at.

Bartiromo asked the president: “Do you think the government shutdown is all about this rally that’s happening this weekend, the ‘No to Kings’ rally?”

Trump responded: “I mean some people are saying they want to delay it for that reason. This is not king, you know, they refer to me as king. I’m not king.”

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“No, but only so Chuck Schumer can go and say, ‘I’m fighting Trump,'” Bartiromo said.

“Well, Chuck, you know, is at the end of the line. He’s getting beaten up by everyone who votes against him,” Trump said. “And you know what he did is he did the right thing two years ago on something like this. And he got hurt by his own party. And that doesn’t…I don’t think it matters to him. I think he’s so dead that he would do anything.”

Trump also said: “We’re canceling a $20 billion project that Schumer fought for 15 years to get, and I’m canceling the project. The project will be dead. It’s pretty much dead now.”

Trump said he had “terminated” billions of federal dollars for the Gateway project, which finances a new train tunnel under the Hudson River linking New Jersey and New York.

Hours after the ongoing federal government shutdown, the Trump administration announced a multibillion-dollar freeze on the tunnel, as well as the expansion of the Second Avenue Subway in New York City.

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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., speaks during a news conference alongside Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., after a meeting at the White House in Washington, D.C., before the government shutdown. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu/Getty Images/Getty Images)

A week ago, Trump also wrote on Truth Social: “We just learned that China has taken a very aggressive stance on trade by sending a very hostile message to the world that, as of November 1, 2025, it will impose broad export controls on almost every product it makes, some it doesn’t even make.”

“Based on the fact that China has taken this unprecedented position, and speaking only on behalf of the United States, and not other countries under a similar threat, beginning November 1, 2025 (or earlier, depending on any other actions or changes China takes), the United States of America will impose a 100% tariff on China, in addition to any tariff it currently pays,” Trump wrote.

The Peterson Institute for International Economics estimated that average US tariffs on Chinese exports now stand at 57.6%, meaning the new tariffs would be around 157%.

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President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House on October 6, 2025 in Washington, DC (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images/Getty Images)

When asked if that number could continue, Trump told Bartiromo: “It’s not sustainable, but that’s the number. Maybe not, you know, it could continue, but they forced me to do it.”

“We’ll see what happens with China. I’ve always had a great relationship with it [Chinese President Xi Jinping]“You know, but they’re always looking for an advantage,” Trump added.

He added: “We will meet in two weeks, and in South Korea we will meet with President Xi and other people as well.”

Ultimately, Trump said, “We have to reach a fair agreement. It has to be fair.”

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“We have a very strong opponent, and they just respect strength, they really respect it,” the president added.

Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.