In the 29 days that the government has been closed, President Donald Trump has not traveled to Capitol Hill to jump-start negotiations, brought congressional leaders to the White House to broker a deal, or given a speech to the American public about the crisis.

He’s done a lot else in October: traveled out of the country twice; defended the demolition of the East Wing to make room for a giant ballroom; asked for (and, in several cases, received) prosecutions of his political enemies and granted clemency to allies; demanded a $230 million payment to himself from the Justice Department; and authorized numerous strikes on alleged drug boats. Trump has also posted AI-generated videos of himself dressed like a king, using a fighter jet to drop excrement on protesters, or, parodying Blue Öyster

See Full Page