Trump has spent just about 2 weeks outdoor D.C. throughout shutdown : NPR by way of NewsFlicks

President Donald Trump departs Air Drive One on October 30, 2025 at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. Trump was once returning to Washington following a multi-nation go back and forth to Asia throughout the continuing govt shutdown.

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With the federal government shutdown dragging into its 2d month and rising extra painful by way of the day, President Trump is spending the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago lodge in Florida. This is not an remoted go back and forth for the president. He has spent just about two complete weeks outdoor of Washington for the reason that shutdown started.

There are ignored paychecks for federal staff, commute disruptions and SNAP meals help is in danger for hundreds of thousands of American citizens. The White Area and Republicans in Congress blame Democrats within the Senate for refusing to enhance a temporary investment invoice that might re-open the federal government.

“They have got misplaced their minds,” Trump stated of Democrats from Air Drive One on his technique to Florida. “All they’ve to do is say the federal government is open, and that is the reason the tip of it.”

Trump spent not up to 24 hours in Washington, D.C. this week. Lots of the week, he was once in Asia, on a 3 nation go back and forth that began in Malaysia. He was once greeted there by way of a brass band and brightly clothed dancers. Trump were given in on it too, doing his signature Trump dance, swaying with clenched fists.

This long international go back and forth, Trump’s 2d time out of the country throughout this shutdown, marked an important ruin with how previous presidents, together with Trump himself, have approached govt shutdowns. They have got generally have shyed away from the unhealthy optics of skipping the city throughout a disaster.

In 1995, President Clinton canceled a deliberate go back and forth to Japan throughout the federal government shutdown so he may keep on the White Area for talks with Republicans who managed each the Area and Senate.

“We spent quite a lot of days within the Oval Place of work principally negotiating … looking to see if shall we have the ability to get to the bottom of it,” stated Leon Panetta, who was once Clinton’s leader of group of workers on the time. “As a result of the very last thing we needed to do was once to have the federal government close down. That, sadly, is not the case.”

All through a long shutdown in 2013, then-President Obama canceled a four-nation Asia go back and forth. And in 2019, President Trump had a go back and forth deliberate to the Global Financial Discussion board in Davos, Switzerland.

“If the shutdown continues, I would possibly not pass,” Trump stated.

The shutdown endured. And he did not pass. Again then, despite the fact that, Trump was once speaking about negotiating. He was once looking to get border wall investment added to a central authority investment invoice.

“Glance, that is in reality one thing that are meant to be bipartisan,” Trump stated as that shutdown dragged on. “And we’re going to see whether it is. I am hoping it’s.”

2019 as opposed to 2025

That shutdown lasted 35 days, the longest on file. An NPR research unearths that throughout that length, Trump most effective left Washington for 6 days. He traveled to:

• Iraq to greet the troops round Christmas
• Dover Air Drive Base in Delaware for the dignified switch of American citizens killed in an assault in Syria
• Camp David in Maryland for an afternoon
• The U.S.-Mexico border to make the case for border wall investment
• New Orleans to talk to the American Farm Bureau

There have been no visits to Mar-a-Lago lodge.

This time is relatively other. Because the get started of the shutdown on October 1, Trump has reputedly made no changes to his commute plans and standard routines. His travels have integrated:

• Two journeys to Florida
• Golfed two times at his path close to Washington, D.C.
• Israel and Egypt to mark the signing of the Gaza ceasefire settlement
• Stops in Malaysia, Japan and South Korea throughout a six day go back and forth

Now not counting his golfing outings in Virginia, Trump spent all or a part of 14 days outdoor of Washington throughout the primary 31 days of the shutdown.

President Trump speaks to newshounds aboard Air Drive One en path to South Korea on October 29, 2025.

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Republicans say there’s not anything to barter till the federal government reopens

Simply sooner than Trump returned to the White Area from Asia, Vice President JD Vance held a press convention to reassert the management’s place.

“We aren’t going to present in on coverage calls for beneath the specter of hostage taking,” he stated. There could be no negotiations till Democrats vote to reopen the federal government.

“We’d like 5 extra affordable Democrats to place the American other people first and reopen the federal government. That is all that we are asking,” Vance stated.

And it’s not simply Trump. The GOP-controlled Area of Representatives was once away all the month of October. The Senate has voted 13 occasions at the identical investment invoice, failing each and every time as a result of a loss of enhance from Democrats. Senators went house for the weekend on Thursday, with lots of them encountering flight delays associated with the shutdown.

Democrats, who prior to now have supported expenses just like the transient investment measure Trump and Republicans are insisting on, say they need to negotiate. However, thus far Republicans are sticking with their place that there’s not anything to barter till the federal government is open.

“Trump can behave on the other hand he desires on this scenario,” stated Doug Heye, who was once deputy leader of group of workers to a most sensible space Republican throughout the 2013 govt shutdown. “Whether or not he will occasions in international nations or simply type of residing lifestyles, none of that interferes with what the core argument is, which is Republicans announcing, ‘now we have executed our process, Democrats step up and do yours.’ To do anything else other would in truth reduce towards their very own messaging.”

President Trump greets Chinese language President Xi Jinping forward of a bilateral assembly at Gimhae Air Base on October 30, 2025 in Busan, South Korea.

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Additionally, he stated, Trump obviously is not all that eager about political possibility from taking a look like he is not engaged in finishing the shutdown. Despite the fact that Trump assists in keeping teasing a 2028 run for an unconstitutional 3rd time period, the president is governing like he has not anything to lose, stated Heye.

“He’s YOLO [you only live once] and he’s going to do what he desires, anyplace he desires and he’s going to push the limits so far as he can, as a result of no matter he talks about, he isn’t going to be at the poll once more,” stated Heye.

However Panetta, who served in congress and a couple of Democratic administrations, sees it another way. He says what is taking place now could be an abdication of a elementary accountability to control.

“We’ve got elected those other people and they are no longer there. They have got left Washington. They are going on journeys,” stated Panetta. “They are principally strolling clear of the very accountability that they must be exercising as elected officers. I imply, that is what’s miserable about all of this.”

White Area spokesperson Anna Kelly defended the president’s commute as just right for the rustic.

“Whilst Democrats flail, President Trump would possibly not forestall turning in historical wins for our nation whilst concurrently discovering ingenious techniques to pay our troops and scale back the struggling because of Democrats’ far-left priorities,” Kelly stated of Trump’s Asia travels.