Trump won't end shutdown because unstaffed, unfunded, and no plan is all he knows.

[Shaddox]

Trump has run the Trump family business for 40 years on a skeletal staff, often no revenue stream, and with no overarching strategy other than moving from momentary grift to grift. I don't think he even perceives that the shutdown is a complete clusterfuck. I'm sure he thinks that on a go-forward basis he can continue to run a largely shutdown federal government on a shoestring budget with a dwindling cabinet and advisory staff, and find money to throw at any "fires" that require immediate attention.

[tblue37]

1. Astute analysis. nt

[More_Cowbell]

2. I think he genuinely doesn't know that everyone doesn't get $200k a year from Dad at age 3

I'm not sure he'd be empathetic if he *did* know, but I think he has no capacity to put himself in someone else's place.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. I think you're right, plus...

He knows if he yields on this topic, his core supporters will abandon him. And that includes Putin. He can't have that; he would lose a lot of face and that is unsupportable.

[Grasswire2]

4. It has been the plan all along.

Does no one remember Bannon talking about crashing the administrative functions?

Does no one remember the freak who wants to drown government in the bathtub? Grover Norquist.

It's Putin's plan, too. Weaken the U.S. Shutter the government.

[Shaddox]

8. I was going to include Bannon in the OP - he must be relishing this

However, other than de-regulation and pissing off European allies, I’m not sure Bannon had any grand plan. Given that Trump is like an injection of pure entropy into any system he touches, the present chaos was inevitable.

[Beartracks]

5. And look at his "stellar" business record!

Not the one made up for TV, but the real one. How many bankruptcies (including friggin CASINOS!) has he had? How many unpaid contractors and employees? How many banks refused to lend him money until friggin RUSSIA had to save his ass? And now he's trying to do the same to America.I

Republicans, if you want to elect a "businessman," you would do well to vet him first.

==========

[smirkymonkey]

6. Such a fucking mushroom dick.

Where is the middle finger smiley? I hate him so much.

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[LuckyCharms]

9. +1. I don't like to hate people...

but I hate him.

[RockRaven]

7. No plan. No strategy. No tactics.

Almost solipsistic. If he doesn't interact with people or things, they might as well not exist. And because he's an ignorant, incurious narcissist, he does not want to interact with most people or things that he has not already.

This shutdown will only end when GOP Senators decide to end it. Ergo, everyone is truly totally screwed.