Government shutdown begins after Trump rejects funding deal, breaking "I will take the mantle" promise

At 12:01 AM on December 22, the federal government shut down after Trump rejected a bipartisan continuing resolution and demanded $5.7 billion for his border wall. Despite publicly declaring 11 days earlier "I will be the one to shut it down" and "I will take the mantle," Trump and Republicans immediately tried to blame Democrats for the shutdown he had promised to own. The shutdown affected 800,000 federal workers who were furloughed or forced to work without pay during the holidays. What Trump predicted would be a quick political win turned into the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, lasting 35 days and ending with Trump receiving zero wall funding. The shutdown caused widespread hardship, with TSA agents, air traffic controllers, and Coast Guard members working without paychecks, food inspections halted, and national parks left unstaffed and damaged.

"The Democrats now own the shutdown!" — December 22, 2018 tweet attempting to blame Democrats for shutdown he had promised to take responsibility for 11 days earlier