Trump’s comments blaming Obama for 2013 government shutdown resurface

by Jacqueline Thomsen - 01/19/18 1:14 PM ET

President Trump’s comments about the 2013 government shutdown during the Obama administration have resurfaced as the federal government races toward a shutdown of its own.

Trump spoke to “Fox & Friends” in 2013 and was asked who would be fired during a government shutdown, as shown in a clip posted by “Morning Joe.”

{mosads}“Well, if you say who gets fired it always has to be the top,” Trump said. “I mean, problems start from the top and they have to get solved from the top and the president’s the leader. And he’s got to get everybody in a room and he’s got to lead.”

He said that further down in history, “when they talk about the government shutdown, they’re going to be talking about the president of the United States, who the president was at that time.”

“They’re not going to be talking about who was the head of the House, the head the Senate, who’s running things in Washington,” Trump said.

“So I really think the pressure is on the president,” he added.

Trump has said he will blame Democrats for a possible government shutdown, saying on Thursday that “it’s up to the Democrats.”

Government funding is set to run out at midnight on Friday.

Trump has invited Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) to the White House to try and strike a deal over government spending.

Trump’s past tweets about the 2013 shutdown have also resurfaced in recent days, including one where he said Republicans “should not be afraid of a government shutdown.”

.@RNC leadership should not be afraid of a government shutdown. They should be afraid of not defunding ObamaCare.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 18, 2013

Congratulations to @SpeakerBoehner on standing strong and tying government shutdown to defunding ObamaCare.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 20, 2013

No one wants the government to shut down, but if ObamaCare is fully implemented then our country will eventually shutdown anyway!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2013