President Donald Trump on Monday compared the Democratic Party to “rebels,” accusing them of sabotaging his administration’s legislative efforts and obstructing policies aimed at reducing crime.
“The Democrats are like rebels — they’re terrible for this country, their policies are disastrous,” Trump said during a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in the Oval Office on October 7.
He cited the passage of the “Beautify Act,” a major tax and public spending bill approved in late June without any Democratic support. According to Trump, the legislation succeeded thanks to the efforts of House Speaker Mike Johnson and the Senate leadership.
The president also blamed Democrats for the ongoing government shutdown, now in its second week, which has left hundreds of thousands of federal workers furloughed without pay. “They started it. Their behavior is like a kamikaze attack — reckless and destructive. They have nothing left to lose,” Trump said.
Democrats have refused to support any Republican-drafted budget bills unless they include provisions to extend tax credits for roughly 10 million Americans purchasing health insurance. In response, Trump vowed to use the shutdown period to cut several Democrat-backed programs and dismiss federal employees he described as “resistant to reform.”
During the same press session, the president reiterated that he is considering invoking the Insurrection Act to deploy the National Guard in Democratic-controlled cities facing unrest or rising crime.
The Insurrection Act grants the president authority to use federal military forces to restore order in emergencies but is typically applied only under extreme circumstances and with state approval. The last time it was invoked was in 1992 by President George H.W. Bush during the Los Angeles riots.