FACT CHECK: Did Trump Say, âA Shutdown Means The President Is Weakâ?
An image posted Jan. 14 by the Facebook page âAmericans Against The Republican Partyâ claimed that President Donald Trump said âa shutdown means the president is weakâ in 2013.
âA shutdown falls on the presidentâs lack of leadership,â the full quote reads. âI mean problems start from the top and they have to get solved from the top. A shutdown means the president is weak.â
Verdict: False
Trump expressed similar sentiments in 2013, referring to the government shutdown during Barack Obamaâs presidency, but much of the quote appears to be fabricated.
Fact Check:
More than a month into a partial government shutdown, Trump agreed to reopen the government for three weeks Friday. The deal does not include funding for Trumpâs border wall.
The shutdown led some to dig up comments Trump purportedly made during a 16-day shutdown in 2013 that centered on Republican opposition to Obamacare.
Many users have posted the quote on Twitter. Even Democratic Rep. Brendan Boyle shared a similar quote during a three-day shutdown in January 2018.
âA shutdown falls on the Presidentâs lack of leadership. He canât even control his party and get people together in a room. A shutdown means the President is weak.â
~Donald Trump, 2013#TrumpShutdown
â US Rep Brendan Boyle (@RepBrendanBoyle) January 20, 2018
The Daily Caller found no evidence that Trump said the quote in question. The first and third sentences appear fabricated, while the second sentence was pulled from an interview he did with âFox and Friendsâ on Sept. 20, 2013.
âI mean problems start from the top, and they have to get solved from the top, and the presidentâs the leader, and heâs got to get everybody in a room, and heâs got to lead,â Trump said. âAnd he doesnât do that, he doesnât like doing that â thatâs not his strength â and thatâs why you have this horrible situation going on in Washington.â
Although the quote canât be attributed to Trump, he has expressed similar sentiments in the past.
FACT â the reason why Americans have to worry about a government shutdown is because Obama refuses to pass a budget.
â Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 9, 2013
âFACT â the reason why Americans have to worry about a government shutdown is because Obama refuses to pass a budget,â Trump tweeted in August 2013, months before the shutdown.
Leadership: Whatever happens, youâre responsible. If it doesnât happen, youâre responsible.
â Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 8, 2013
âLeadership: Whatever happens, youâre responsible,â he tweeted in November 2013. âIf it doesnât happen, youâre responsible.â
In a 2013 interview with former Fox News host Greta Van Susteren, Trump faulted Obama for the shutdown. âYou have to get everybody in a room, you have to be a leader,â he said. âYou have to get a deal, and unfortunately, heâs never been a dealmaker.â
Trump made similar remarks in a 2011 interview with NBC. âIf there is a shutdown, I think it would be a tremendously negative mark on the president of the United States. Heâs the one who has to get people together!â
Have a fact check suggestion? Send ideas to shane@dailycaller.com.