The White House is in no rush to mediate a deal to end the government shutdown, lacking any urgency to help lawmakers reach an agreement as pressure increases on both parties to solve the stand off.
President Trump has had no direct communication with top Democrats since the shutdown began nearly one month ago. In fact, Trump and his top aides feel like Democrats have no good way out and the administration has made no qualms about using agency messaging to politically blame the opposing party for disrupting government operations.
Trump, meanwhile, has seen his approval largely hold steady as he pursues his agenda unabated.
During past shutdowns, the president would typically look to stay above the fray or help lawmakers reach a deal to reopen the government. But political watchers say Trump has no incentive to do so.
“If you’re the White House, there is zero benefit to bending. Zero. It doesn’t make sense for him ever to get involved in this situation,” said one source close to Trump world.
And while Trump is hardly engaging with lawmakers, congressional leadership on both sides of the aisle also appear to be at a standstill with most discussions on Capitol Hill happening more among the rank-and-file.
That became apparent again when the Senate on Tuesday failed to reopen the federal government for the 13th time, as the shutdown hit the four-week mark. Meanwhile, the House has not been in session for weeks, with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) insisting lawmakers will only return if the Senate breaks its impasse.
The White House and Republicans, who maintain narrow majorities in the House and Senate, have been adamant that lawmakers should pass a “clean” continuing resolution that funds the government at current levels into November. Officials argue it will only take a handful of Senate Democrats to vote with Republicans and end the shutdown.
Democrats have balked at that idea as they push for commitments to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies that are set to expire at the end of the year. Without an extension, health care premiums for millions of Americans will spike. Democrats argue it is up to Republicans to negotiate with the minority party to find a way out of the shutdown.
The administration, at the same time, sought to alleviate key pressure points that might otherwise bring lawmakers to the negotiating table. The administration has shifted around funding in the Pentagon budget to pay members of the military, and officials said they would use tariff revenue to help fund a key nutritional program for women and infants.
But Trump has shown he is unconcerned with the optics of the shutdown or with whether voters will pin the blame on him for the situation.
The president has devoted much of his attention to the construction of a ballroom at the White House. Trump during the shutdown hosted a dinner for donors who are helping to pay for the ballroom, which included leaders from Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Palantir and other major companies. Construction began on the ballroom last week as the East Wing was demolished.
Trump during the shutdown also made two major trips abroad to focus on his foreign policy agenda. He completed a whirlwind trip to the Middle East to tout the onset of a fragile peace agreement to end the fighting in Gaza, and he is in Asia this week seeking to cement key trade agreements.
“He gets to still run the government,” said one Republican strategist. “He’s getting to do all the things he wants to do anyway. Deportations haven’t slowed. The Donald Trump agenda is still being carried out. He’s not hurt by this from an agenda standpoint.”
That’s also evidence of how staying out of the shutdown fight benefits Trump.
“The White House has no incentive to fold,” the source close to Trump world said. “Congressional Republicans might. But the White House certainly doesn’t.”
The administration also isn’t slowing down despite the shutdown.
The Department of Homeland Security has continued with its aggressive deportation efforts and crackdowns in cities like Chicago.
Trump’s budget chief, Russell Vought, has eliminated or frozen funding for transportation and clean energy projects in New York City, Chicago and states that did not vote for Trump in the 2024 election. Vought has also pressed ahead with layoffs, seeking to slash the size of the federal workforce by thousands of people, though a federal judge has halted the dismissals.
White House officials are confident pressure will increase on Democrats as the shutdown approaches Nov. 1.
This week, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the largest union representing federal workers, called for Congress to pass a clean continuing resolution to reopen the government.
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) told reporters the union’s position “has a lot of impact,” though no Democrats indicated they were prepared to change their position.
Lawmakers in both parties have warned that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits will begin to expire on Nov. 1, and there is growing concern about increased flight delays at major airports because of the shutdown’s strain on air traffic controllers.
And the finger-pointing for who is to blame is sure to continue. A Quinnipiac University poll released last week found 45 percent of registered voters viewed congressional Republicans as more responsible for the shutdown, compared to 39 percent who pinned more blame on congressional Democrats. The poll found 11 percent viewed the parties as equally responsible.
The same poll showed Trump’s approval rating at 40 percent, up slightly from 38 percent in September before the shutdown began.