Kills bipartisan funding deal with debt-ceiling ultimatum, threatens primaries against Republican di

On December 18, 2024, days before a government-shutdown deadline, Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance issued a statement opposing the bipartisan stopgap funding bill negotiated by Speaker Mike Johnson, demanding Republicans reject it unless it also raised or eliminated the debt ceiling: 'Republicans must GET SMART and TOUGH. If Democrats threaten to shut down the government unless we give them everything they want, then CALL THEIR BLUFF.' The opposition, which followed a day of Elon Musk posting calls to 'kill the bill,' collapsed the negotiated deal within hours and brought the government within a day of shutdown. Trump escalated the next morning, telling Fox News Digital that 'Anybody that supports a bill that doesn't take care of the Democrat quicksand known as the debt ceiling should be primaried and disposed of as quickly as possible.' A pared-back bill without the debt-ceiling provision passed December 20-21; observers described the episode as a president-elect directing congressional outcomes through primary threats before taking office.

“Republicans must GET SMART and TOUGH. If Democrats threaten to shut down the government unless we give them everything they want, then CALL THEIR BLUFF” Quote verified against source