The Most Embarrassing Democrat Reactions To Government Shutdown

In the days before and since Democrats triggered the ongoing government shutdown, a number within their own ranks have also triggered a series of groans and cringes across legacy media outlets and social media platforms alike.

In the span of just a few days, they’ve delivered a series of over-the-top performances — and The Daily Wire has compiled several of their greatest hits for the sake of posterity.

The pre-shutdown group photo:

The caption made the photo seem positive: “House Democrats are in DC and ready to cancel the cuts, lower the costs, save health care.”

What they omitted was the fact that Democrats were planning to hold the federal government hostage until their demands were met — and with Republicans controlling the House and Senate even by the slimmest of margins, that wasn’t going to happen. They drove willingly into the government shutdown, and then blamed Republicans for it.

House Democrats are in DC and ready to cancel the cuts, lower the costs, save health care. pic.twitter.com/vnNRqGD3NS

— House Democrats (@HouseDemocrats) September 30, 2025

Trans-identifying congressman’s “Where are the Republicans?” skit:

Rep. Tim McBride (D-DE), who now identifies as “Sarah,” released a video of himself running through the halls of the Capitol and pretending to look for Republicans so that they could all work together to avert the looming shutdown.

But as previously noted by multiple Republicans and by President Donald Trump, the demands presented by Democrats were non-starters — and that based on their own prior statements, what McBride and other Democrats meant by “work together” was “Republicans would need to give in to all of their demands.”

The Democrat Party is an absolute joke.. ????????

How does anyone still take that Party seriously, pic.twitter.com/cLwVU5guHi

— American AF ???????? (@iAnonPatriot) October 1, 2025

“Kitty explains government shutdown”:

No, that is not a typo. Yes, the Democratic Party posted a video — to its official X account — that featured badly photo-shopped cats arguing over the shutdown with the Capitol building in the background.

“Republican and Democrat kitties cannot agree on what should be funded,” a digital-sounding voice provided exposition. “Democrat kitties want you to have health care. Republican kitties do not. Republican kitties control the Senate, House, and the White House, so they’re using that to cut your health care and give money to billionaires.”

“Democrat kitty tries to negotiate,” the voice continued. “But Republican kitty keeps running away. He has a vacation to get to. Uh-oh! Suddenly the money you pay for your health insurance has tripled! Thanks, Republicans.”

pic.twitter.com/S71BNFx7lS

— Democrats (@TheDemocrats) October 1, 2025

The “Blair Witch” shutdown horror short:

Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-CA) posted a video right as the shutdown began, showing herself in total darkness save for the flashlight beam shining directly in her face — and apparently blinding her. The only sound before she began to speak was the ticking of a timer running down to the last seconds.

“It’s past midnight in D.C., which means Donald Trump just shut down the government,” she declared, despite the fact that Congress — specifically Democrats — had actually triggered the shutdown.

She went on to suggest that food would suddenly become unsafe due to a lack of FDA inspections, and that travel would become a nightmare because of short staffing in the FAA. National Parks, she claimed, would be “locked up” or “trashed” because park rangers had been furloughed.

“This is all Donald Trump’s fault,” she declared again.

Time’s up — Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress just shut down the federal government. Here’s what that means for you. pic.twitter.com/SvyenbW8iq

— Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (@RepSaraJacobs) October 1, 2025

The insurance horror trailer complete with a spit-take:

Another short film, posted by the Democrats of the House Ways & Means Committee, used dramatic horror-film-esque music and blaring headlines warning of unmitigated disaster in the health care and insurance industries — all of which would come to pass if Republicans did not give in to their demands.

The entire tone of the ad was undercut from the beginning when one of the men in the video, supposedly reading from a medical bill or an insurance bill, responds with a dramatic spit-take.

TELL REPUBLICANS: SAVE HEALTH CARE pic.twitter.com/bCQZcIE8ED

— Ways and Means Democrats (@WaysMeansCmte) September 29, 2025

Chuck Schumer — and to be fair, a lot of others — pretending he doesn’t know the difference between government-funded and privately-funded projects:

“Yes to ballrooms. No to health care for Americans. Got it,” Schumer snarked, sharing a screenshot of a headline from People Magazine that read, “White House will continue construction on 90,000-square-foot ballroom during government shutdown.”

As a number of people quickly pointed out, the $200 million ballroom project was being funded privately — by President Trump and other private donors — and thus would not be affected by any government shutdown.

Yes to ballrooms. No to healthcare for Americans. Got it. pic.twitter.com/HgBvO1i0Ff

— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) October 2, 2025

The guy who could have been vice president pretending he doesn’t know how the Senate works:

Governor Tim Walz (D-MN) tried to claim that Republicans had the power to prevent the government shutdown because they controlled the House, Senate, and White House. While that is true, the Senate also requires a 60-vote threshold to pass a stopgap funding measure — and Democrats are the ones preventing that from happening.

“Republicans control every branch of the federal government and they can’t even pass their own BS to keep the lights on,” he said.

Republicans control every branch of the federal government and they can’t even pass their own BS to keep the lights on.

— Tim Walz (@Tim_Walz) October 1, 2025

“Senate Republicans have the votes to fund the government. Senate Democrats are using the filibuster to BLOCK that vote from taking place. Keep up,” GOP Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) shot back.

Senate Republicans have the votes to fund the government.

Senate Democrats are using the filibuster to BLOCK that vote from taking place.

Keep up. https://t.co/hGJUOmQ49T

— Tom Emmer (@GOPMajorityWhip) October 2, 2025