Sen. Angus King, an independent from Maine who caucuses with Democrats, broke ranks with much of his party this week, arguing that the government shutdown meant to pressure President Donald Trump had backfired — and in fact, made him stronger.
In an appearance Monday on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, King defended his decision to vote with Republicans to reopen the government, a move that has already drawn ire from progressives who wanted to continue pressing the White House. “You have to go back to what the strategy was at the beginning of the shutdown,” King said. “There were two goals, both of which I support. One was standing up to Donald Trump. The other was getting some resolution on the ACA premium tax credit issue. The problem was, the shutdown wasn’t accomplishing either goal. And there was practically, well, it was zero likelihood that it was going to.”
King’s remarks reflected a growing divide among Democrats over how to confront the president — and whether tactics like government shutdowns are politically sustainable. King suggested that rather than weaken Trump, the strategy had only consolidated his power. “In terms of standing up to Donald Trump, the shutdown actually gave him more power,” he said. “Exhibit A being what he’s done with SNAP and SNAP benefits across the country. Guess who’s getting paid during the shutdown? Not the park rangers or air traffic controllers. The ICE agents. Under special law, under that big awful bill that they passed last summer, the ICE agents are being paid. Nobody else is.”
King’s comments cut against the prevailing mood of defiance among Democratic activists, many of whom argue that only unrelenting opposition to Trump can contain his policies. But King pointed to practical realities — unpaid federal workers, endangered food assistance, and strained air travel safety — as reasons to shift tactics. “Standing up to Donald Trump didn’t work. It actually gave him more power,” he said.
When Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough pressed him on whether Democrats’ recent electoral successes suggested that standing firm was working, King was unmoved. “At some point, there’s diminishing returns,” he said. “The strategy was ‘let’s bring the Republicans to the table.’ It didn’t happen. It wasn’t going to happen.”
King emphasized that the shutdown had caused “tremendous collateral damage.” He noted that 42 million Americans’ SNAP benefits were at risk, and that unpaid federal employees were struggling. “I don’t want to land at an airport in the United States with a sleepy air traffic controller because they’re working double shifts,” he said.
While Democrats have celebrated major victories in recent state elections, King warned that political momentum should not come at the expense of national stability. “If the strategy isn’t working, you change tactics,” he said. “And particularly, you change tactics if your own troops are at risk, and that’s really what’s happening here.”
King’s pragmatic stance underscores a broader unease among moderate Democrats about the party’s confrontational approach. His conclusion was blunt — the shutdown failed, and President Trump emerged more powerful than before.
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