An epochal political week opens with shutdown about to break record

A defining week has dawned in American politics with huge implications for Donald Trump’s second presidency, for his fellow Republicans and for a Democratic Party seeking to build a new future from the ashes of its 2024 election humiliation.

The government shutdown is now in its 34th day and less than 48 hours from becoming the longest ever. But none of the political stakes compare to the misery of millions of Americans now struggling to get by on $0 paychecks, or who risk losing health care or vital food assistance.

“It feels as if the government doesn’t care. The holidays are coming — people are going to be hungry. We are the land of opportunity, and it doesn’t look like it,” Janis, a federal worker, who is the daughter and granddaughter of military veterans, told CNN’s Camila DeChalus at a food bank in suburban Maryland.

Trump seems oblivious to political appearances or the risk that the shutdown could further damage him among most Americans who have soured on his second term. Creating an impression of gilded indifference, he hosted a “Great Gatsby”-themed Halloween party at his luxury Florida club and boasted about the swish renovation of a bathroom at the White House.

In a combative interview on CBS’ “60 Minutes” on Sunday, Trump showed no sign of looking for a way out that did not involve a total defeat for Democrats, whom he described as “crazed lunatics.” He said the opposition party would eventually “have to” capitulate and vote to open the government.