President Donald Trump this week weighed in on the ongoing federal shutdown and his floated plan to send National Guard troops to New Orleans, declaring that “no one can turn the government on like I can.” He added that “New Orleans needs me — it’s been underwater, underperforming, and underappreciated for too long.”
The remarks follow his recent suggestion about deploying troops to the Crescent City, and come as Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry has requested up to 1,000 Guard members for public safety in cities across the state, including New Orleans. Trump called it “a very strong, very smart move,” and hinted he may have inspired it.
With the federal government now in its second week of shutdown, agencies are scaling back while Congress remains at an impasse. Speaking to reporters between rounds at his Florida golf club, President Trump addressed the government shutdown and his call to send National Guard troops to New Orleans, describing it as “a beautiful idea, maybe one of my best.”
“The government, it needs me bigly, and we need troops. A lot of troops. In fact, we might need a wall too, maybe around New Orleans, who knows. You see that. I see that. We all see that. They say walls have ears, and I’m listening, and I’m speaking up to put it up. Everyone’s hanging on my every word, waiting, and I don’t blame them. No one can turn the government on like I can. It’s a gift. Believe me. Other people try to turn it on, and it’s sad, nothing happens. Total disappointment. Maybe they have pills for that. But me? I walk into a room, this beautiful room that’s always waiting for me, and the congresses, all of them, just freeze. They know what’s coming. They want it. Deep down, they all want a strong, powerful wall or maybe a tank or two. They’re just playing hard to please. Look, if this was a bar, I’d be going home with all of them, and my tab would be comped because everyone’s stunned by my performance. I can stop the shutdown whenever I want, but they need to learn. I might be ordering, but you’re not getting free drinks. You’ll still thank me when the check comes, believe me.”
Landriana officials have since confirmed the request to deploy National Guard troops to assist with “public safety concerns.” Sources say, though, it remains unclear whether their orders include fighting crime, fixing infrastructure, or just “hanging out until something happens.”
Congress, meanwhile, has shown no sign of reopening the government or responding to Trump’s advances, with at least one lawmaker privately insisting “he just isn’t our type.”