Kevin Kiley spoke about the way iconic US cities have been dismantled by their Democratic governments

 

Washington, D.C.— Americans woke up Wednesday to the first federal government shutdown in seven years, an episode that has paralyzed part of administrative operations and exacerbated the political confrontation in Washington.

Far from softening his tone, President Donald Trump (supported by the vast majority of Americans) took advantage of the situation to launch new criticisms against his Democratic rivals. Through his social media, the president shared a photograph taken during a meeting held at the White House the day before, in which the arrival of the main opposition leaders can be seen.

In the image, the figure of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York), stands out, appearing to observe with distrust while Trump, smiling, points at him in front of the cameras. The president accompanied the post with a message in which he directly blamed the Democratic leadership for the failure of the budget negotiations.

The exchange reflects the increasingly bitter tone between the two parties, which blame each other for the fiscal stalemate that caused the shutdown. While Republicans argue that Democrats refuse to budge on public spending, the opposition accuses Trump of using the crisis as a political tool and putting millions of federal employees at risk, while they themselves put all citizens at risk by seeking to take their tax dollars to maintain the health of undocumented immigrants.

Analysts warn that if the government shutdown continues, the political cost could extend to the Democrats, although the president seeks to shape the narrative by presenting himself as the only one willing to "confront the intransigence" of the Democrats.