President Donald Trump finds new ways every morning to create outrage among Democrats and the commentariat class. In the midst of the “Schumer Shutdown,” the President has engaged in some epic, hilarious trolls to the apoplexy of the left and to the delight of conservatives and everyone with a sense of humor (apologies for the repetition). From sombreros to the sounds of Blue Oyster Cult parodies, the President has been funny and on point.
The first bit of trolling was an AI-altered video on September 29 showing Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in a sombrero and a curly mustache standing next to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. Schumer’s voice is dubbed over by AI to have him explain that the Democrats are funding illegal immigrants to get more voters because “Nobody likes Democrats anymore.” The video has Schumer attribute this to the party’s “woke, trans bulls***.”
“Not even black people want to vote for us anymore,” lamented AI Schumer. “Even Latinos hate us.”
Fresh off demanding that former blackface performer Jimmy Kimmel be reinstated from suspension for mocking the death of Charlie Kirk, the Democrats now pretended to be outraged by the sombrero imagery. Hakeem Jeffries, who previously attempted to play the tough guy by posing for pictures carrying a baseball bat, only ended up making the nation giggle when he again tried to challenge Trump.
“The next time you have something to say about me, don’t cop out through a racist and fake AI video,” Jeffries said. “When I’m back in the Oval Office, say it to my face.”
Not only did Jeffries again fail to impress America, he provoked Trump to post yet another AI video on September 30. In the second one, Jeffries is speaking on MSNBC above a chyron that reads “TRUMP POSTS RACIST AI VIDEO AFTER WH MEETING W/ DEMS.” Jeffries is wearing the sombrero and mustache again and a four-piece mariachi band composed of instrument-playing AI Donald Trump figures (all in sombreros!) appears behind him.
The videos not only drove Democrats crazy; they also kept the focus on the Democratic insistence on funding illegal alien healthcare. But it was the video Trump shared on October 3 that was both the funniest and the most savvy.
Yet another AI video, it was a version of the Blue Öyster Cult’s “Fear the Reaper” in which Trump himself is playing the cowbell in a dark monastic robe, J.D. Vance plays the drum in a suit, and Russell Vought, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, is depicted as the scythe-wielding Grim Reaper.
The lyrics announce that Vought “wields the pen, the funds, and the brain.” It is hilarious, but it makes a serious point. Because of the shutdown, the Trump administration has broad leeway to cut waste, fraud, and abuse while Democrats refuse to fund the government.
As journalist James Rosen recently said in an interview with the Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins, “This is a president determined to use all the levers of executive authority and power.” He added that, “In this setting, a shutdown,” Trump seems willing to “seize the moment,” perhaps even pursuing massive reductions in the federal workforce.
Indeed, Vought was talking about such a plan before the shutdown began. On September 24, The Hill reported on a memo Vought sent that “essentially directs agencies to permanently fire some federal employees that otherwise would be furloughed during a shutdown but then return to work once Congress reopens the government.”And on Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said announcements of layoffs and firings would be in “two days, imminent, very soon.”
Thus far, the announcements of layoffs haven’t come. We can guess that such plans haven’t been shelved; instead, Vought is likely making sure any moves to prune our overgrown government are solidly based in law and government policy.
In the meantime, Vought the Reaper hasn’t been doing nothing. On October 1, Vought announced on X: “Nearly $8 billion in Green New Scam funding to fuel the Left’s climate agenda is being cancelled.” That these projects are all in blue states is not surprising, given that these are the states that have been taking money from the “green” funding.
What’s truly amazing is that in the Department of Energy announcement of the canceled grants, the reader sees this: “Of the 321 financial awards terminated, 26% were awarded between Election Day and Inauguration Day. Those awards alone were valued at over $3.1 billion.”
In other words, thanks to the shutdown, the American people are learning the full scope of the Biden administration’s corrupt efforts to funnel billions of tax dollars to Democrats – an egregious error that the Trump administration is now correcting.
On October 3, Vought announced another potential bit of savings: “$2.1 billion in Chicago infrastructure projects – specifically the Red Line Extension and the Red and Purple Modernization Project – have been put on hold to ensure funding is not flowing via race-based contracting. More info to come soon from @USDOT.” The same day, he announced, “Roughly $18 billion in New York City infrastructure projects have been put on hold to ensure funding is not flowing based on unconstitutional DEI principles.”
Given the likelihood that both Chicago and New York are indeed discriminating based on race, Americans might just see either significant savings of federal monies going to these states or—let us pray—reform to their still woke systems.
There are plenty of other areas that Vought can consider. Iowa Senator Joni Ernst posted an eight-page letter on X identifying plenty of other outrageous government waste that could be cut to the tune of $2 trillion. She included rescinding unspent COVID-19 funds, consolidating government office space, stopping mass transit boondoggles and ridiculous science grants, and canceling the bonuses of mediocre government employees. And, yes, Senator Ernst advocates working “with the Office of Personnel Management to right-size the federal workforce.”
So committed to outrageous spending, Democrats look like they are going to keep this shutdown going for at least another week. But they may discover that they have handed the Trump administration a golden opportunity to use the levers of power to do what it takes to reduce our bloated bureaucracy.
Democrats fear the Reaper. What they might find out is that American citizens are rooting for him.
David P. Deavel teaches at the University of St. Thomas in Houston. A past Lincoln Fellow at the Claremont Institute, he is a Senior Contributor at The Imaginative Conservative. Follow him on X (Twitter) @davidpdeavel.
I am rooting for him. Let’s get rid of as much waste and fraud as possible that is lawful before corrupt judges try to put a stop to what’s good for America because we know they will be trying to put injunctions in place to stop this.
Prime opportunity to find out how politicians make so much money during their tenure while in office. Some are ridiculous.
It’s the Muslim politicians that have been the most upset recently. President Trump’s war against illegal immigration has seriously messed with open boarders and with their plans to infiltrate and corrupt our society.
If you disagree then you need only look at the Islamic cesspool that the Western European capitals have become.
Let’s start by firing the Democratic house members
MAGA
Again
TRUMP 2.0
More CUTs deeper cuts Govt wide
Non essential closed forever
Indeed we are rooting for him. That which the Democrats Sow for our destruction the Republicans will Grimly Reap away to save us from doom!
The democrats live in their America and they are fighting them, the other America. When will they realize they are fighting against themselves. They could have kept the Gov open by signing a clean CR and keep talking. This all could have been prevented. Only they are hell bent on preserving their power over their America. Them, those opposed in their eyes, are only working to balance a budget pay down our debt, have law and order on the way to prosperity. Those billions of dollars to Blue States for climate change causes we will never see any benefits from that. Autopen was going to build 500,000 loading stations for E vehicles he got trillions of dollars for that. And 8 were built. That is the result of a mandate leader. In a constitutional Republic where the people are in charge. The democrats forgot that. They rule by mandate and if they can’t win they kill their opponents or threaten them with lies and half truths which the MSM propagandizes till the election. We see that over and over again. Started with Obama and Russia Gate Hoax, Hillary’s Steele dossier Hoax, and on and on. When will they realize they against them mentality is a civil war. We have been fighting this since Obama was inaugurated in 2009.
Law of economics applies to everyone, small family or big corporation, it’s the same You can’t persistently spend more than you bring in. After a time credit is cut off, creditor comes knocking on the door and the reality has to be faced. This is what we have to face, despite dems. assuring us all is well and will be better under their guidance, it’s those wily reps. that are ruining the dream
Funny videos, yes. Pointed and meaningful. Yes. But here’s the caveat, there are folks out there who have the weak minds suitable for persuasion who can and have taken upon themselves to go active with violence. Leaders on the right and their associates are at a higher risk in this new environment of hate. Pres. Trump is still a target as are many in his cabinet, assigned offices and spokesperson roles. While I say this not to generate fear, it is clear, a clear and present danger is upon us. And when you add the matter of the cartels, terrorists without, and men like Putin who are insane, the target is clearly there. I pray for the safety of our leaders, hope you will too.
I LOVE OUR PRESIDENT!!!
????????MAGA!!!!!!!????????
GO REAPER!!!!!!
Why are none of the people congressmen and senate being arrested for fraud and treason to country and it’s people I want them in jail, start doing that and whomever takes their place will think twice before they commit treason.
The DIMMwits who trumpet “free speech” cannot even stomach a satirical video!? All the while, they actually engage in HATE speech by likening ICE agents to the Gestapo! They really need to study history to find out WHO the Gestapo hated and who they worked for!
Instead of being so offended about such things that a high school student would ignore, why doesn’t the dems work on something bi-laterally that would benefit everyone, even if only having funding for fixing potholes in streets.
Trump is so hilarious! I know he isn’t doing all this himself, but he probably has the ideas; he has a wicked sense of humor, and the dems have none.
When do the layoffs begin? I haven’t heard anything yet.
America’s undisputed ENEMIES WITHIN (AKA the DEMOCRTAS) have the lowest ratings of all time. They have the lowest TRUST ratings of all time. And they have been the most corrupt, and vile, perverted group of liars in history.
And one last thing, Democrats are the most angry, depressed, unhappy, moral-less group in history, with ZERO sense of humor. The only time they really laugh is when they raise taxes, or when illegals pour into the country, or when BLM and other paid and delusional protesters are burning down our cities, rioting and destroying tens of thousands of businesses, innocent people are suffering, being burned alive on a subway platform by an illegal alien, or dying from drugs, or being raped, murdered, or being victims of human trafficking, or being mutilated chemically castrated. Any and all of this, and much more, brings a big smile on their faces.
Democrats are PURE EVIL. (And sadly, that pretty much goes for the voters who support them and continue to keep them in power).
Yes, we dislike the democrats because they lie and cheat to get what they want: men in women’s locker rooms, boys taking away girls awards, porn in children’s classrooms, schools graduating kids that cannot read or do math and the list goes on and on. What is there to like???
Just more signs of a dying empire. I guess one could say it was nice while it lasted but man did this nation run up an innocent civilian body toll over the past 80 some odd years.
Oh well, at least when the nation falls its debts will fall with it.
Yeah, yeah, and yeah!! About time we get rid of the bloat in the Federal government. And it serves the Democrats right for not working in good faith for the people of this country.
The Comucrats , Schumer and Jeffries and others like the infamous moron AOC have themselves I a box of their own creation. They have chosen the battle they want to fight is that of Providing Health Care and Other tax payer funded benefits to Illegal Aliens. I a time where regular working Americans have trouble paying for their own healthcare the Comucrats want to give it to ILLEGAL ALENS FREE! These Comucrats are really stupid.
..tooo bad he can’t just fire all the libs….
Many thanks for David P. Deavels column!! I haven’t had a continuous smile for a while!!!
Hey. Funny stuff, no? Yeah, I think so, too.
I don’t believe all Democrat voters need to Fear the Reaper (great song) because many are understanding how badly they have been deceived by Progressive Democrats, who certainly should Fear the Reaper but seem to be too dedicated to their Socialist/Communist agendas to fear enough to stop trying to destroy the U.S. as a Constitutional Republic.
I’d like to volunteer to keep the reapers scythe razor sharp
The Reaper video is very well done. I literally LOL’d. I saw it on FB and the haters were screaming that the band needs to sue over the use of their song but I hear there is a parody exception. I love our Troll-in-Chief but it is a challenge to my “be nice” training. Our parents and grandparents were so relieved at the end of WWII that they failed to train us for war. But Im old enough now that I get it. Thank you AMAC
You’re much like an escapee from a mental institution.
Dang Glen, you need to have that TDS treated, before you explode. It must suck to be you
What do Republicans have to say abouttEMTALA law signed by President Reagan April 7,1986.J D Vance needs to read that & what that law requires of emergency rooms. What has happened to compassion in the USA ?
This shutdown belongs to Trump & Republicans as they own the Senate and House and Republicans vote 100% for whatever Trump wants. Both sides have conflicting stories about health plans & care for illegal citizens & so one side is not telling the truth. Trump had record 35 day shutdown first term so hope he does not want to break this record.