Trump Says Democrats Are Kamikaze Pilots Amid Longest Government Shutdown in U.S. History [WATCH]

President Donald Trump drew a sharp comparison between congressional Democrats and World War II kamikaze pilots during a Wednesday breakfast with Republican senators at the White House, as the government shutdown stretched into its 36th day — the longest in U.S. history, as reported by Fox News.

“I think they’re kamikaze pilots,” Trump said. “I just got back from Japan and talked about the kamikaze pilots. I think these guys are kamikaze. They’ll take down the country if they have to.”

The President’s comments followed his recent trip to Asia, where he met with Japanese officials before returning to Washington amid continued deadlock in Congress.

Lawmakers have been unable to reach an agreement on a short-term funding measure to reopen the government, which partially shut down on October 1 due to disagreements between Senate Republicans and Democrats.

At issue are healthcare provisions tied to the continuing resolution (CR).

Republicans have accused Democrats of attempting to insert measures that would extend Affordable Care Act subsidies while rolling back parts of Trump’s 2017 tax and domestic policy legislation — which reduced Medicaid eligibility for non-U.S. citizens.

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“It is Democrat-created, but I don’t think they’re getting really the blame that they should,” Trump told the senators. “The government must open soon.”

Democrats have denied the charge, insisting their goal is to permanently extend certain Affordable Care Act subsidies set to expire at the end of 2025.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer reiterated that position Tuesday, saying his caucus would not support a funding bill that excludes those provisions.

“The only plan Republicans have for healthcare seems to be to eliminate it, and then to tell working people to go figure it out on their own,” Schumer said. “That’s not a healthcare plan. That’s cruel.”

Trump also told Republican lawmakers that he believes the ongoing shutdown contributed to recent GOP losses in Tuesday’s elections, including gubernatorial contests in Virginia and New Jersey.

“Exactly one year ago, we had that big, beautiful victory,” Trump said. “But I thought we’d have a discussion after the press leaves about what last night represented and what we should do about it. And also about the shutdown and how that relates to last night.”

“I think if you read the pollsters, the shutdown was a big factor. Negative for the Republicans, and that was a big factor,” he added.

Despite calls from the White House to pass a stopgap measure, Senate Democrats have continued to block Republican efforts to fund the government without including new healthcare spending. Negotiations are expected to continue through the week.

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