by Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Staff
WASHINGTON D.C. (Worthy News) – Returning from his Asia trip, President Donald Trump on Thursday night urged Republicans to “play their Trump card” and eliminate the Senate filibuster to end the monthlong government shutdown, escalating pressure on lawmakers to break the political deadlock in Washington.
In a late-night post on Truth Social, Trump revived talk of the “nuclear option,” calling on the GOP-controlled Senate to scrap the 60-vote rule that allows Democrats to block legislation.
“It is now time for the Republicans to play their ‘TRUMP CARD,’ and go for what is called the Nuclear Option — Get rid of the Filibuster, and get rid of it, NOW!” the president wrote.
Trump noted that Democrats had attempted to abolish the filibuster during the Biden administration but were thwarted by then-Senators Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), who later left the Democratic Party.
“The one question that kept coming up, however, was how did the Democrats SHUT DOWN the United States of America, and why did the powerful Republicans allow them to do it?” Trump said. “The fact is, in flying back, I thought a great deal about that question, WHY?”
The president praised Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) for “doing a GREAT job,” while condemning Democrats as “crazed lunatics” suffering from “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
“They want Trillions of Dollars to be taken from our Healthcare System and given to others, who are not deserving — People who have come into our Country illegally, many from prisons and mental institutions,” Trump wrote. “This will hurt American citizens, and Republicans will not let it happen.”
The government shutdown — now entering its fourth week — has stemmed from a budget impasse over healthcare and immigration spending. Negotiations between Republican congressional leaders and Democratic senators have so far yielded no progress.
Speaking after White House meetings Thursday, Thune, Johnson, and Vice President JD Vance reiterated that the administration was seeking a “clean funding bill” to reopen the government while maintaining spending restraints.
Trump argued that Democrats would not hesitate to end the filibuster if they regained control, citing the 2013 move by then-Majority Leader Harry Reid to abolish the 60-vote rule for most executive and judicial nominations.
“In addition to all of the other things we would get, such as the best Judges, the best U.S. Attorneys, the best of everything, this was a concept from years ago of then President Barack Hussein Obama and former Majority Leader Harry Reid in order to take advantage of the Republicans,” Trump wrote. “Now I want to do it in order to take advantage of the Democrats.”
As pressure mounts and the economic costs of the shutdown grow, Trump’s latest call could test party unity in the Senate — where some Republicans have long resisted eliminating the filibuster altogether, warning that it could permanently alter the chamber’s balance of power.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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