It’s not easy to pick the worst liberal media take on the Schumer Shutdown—there’s no shortage of contenders. But credit where it’s due (or discredit, more accurately): MSNBC’s Morning Joe host and Atlantic contributor Jonathan Lemire delivered a truly remarkable specimen of political misdirection with his now-viral post accusing President Donald Trump of being “MIA” during the government shutdown.
Let’s start by applying the first rule of media literacy: if the narrative contradicts the basic mechanics of government, proceed with skepticism. Lemire’s tweet, clearly designed to funnel readers toward one of his Atlantic pieces, implies Trump is shirking responsibility by not resolving the shutdown. But that framing deliberately omits the core fact that undermines his entire argument — Trump doesn’t have a vote in Congress.
NEW: The government is closed. The President is MIA
Believing Democrats would splinter, Trump deliberately ignored the shutdown. But his polls have tumbled. And more Americans will hurt in the days ahead
Now even some in GOP think Trump needs to act https://t.co/DSbsJKBe7L
— Jonathan Lemire (@JonLemire) October 29, 2025
You need 60 votes in the Senate to end a shutdown with a clean continuing resolution. Republicans don’t have 60 votes. That means the only way to reopen the government is for Democrats to cooperate, and they haven’t. Lemire’s omission of that foundational reality is not just a journalistic oversight — it’s a narrative sleight of hand.
Which brings us to the next point: Trump has very much not been MIA. In fact, he’s been exceptionally active both diplomatically abroad and politically at home. While Democrats are digging their heels in and holding the federal workforce hostage to preserve leverage for their political wishlist, Trump has been—yes—working. The White House Rapid Response account, blunt as ever, called out Lemire’s narrative in no uncertain terms:
“MIA,” Lenore? Dumbass.
While useless Dems keep govt closed, @POTUS is wrapping a long-planned Asia trip where he secured billions in new investment, ended a war, and inked multiple trade/critical minerals deals.
Btw, @POTUS has addressed the Dem Shutdown MANY times https://t.co/K8xxQ6pMa5
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) October 30, 2025
“While useless Dems keep govt closed, POTUS is wrapping a long-planned Asia trip where he has secured billions in new investment, ended a war, and inked multiple trade/critical minerals deals.”
Is that exaggeration? Perhaps rhetorically. But it’s certainly more accurate than the suggestion that Trump is sitting out the shutdown while Democrats are valiantly trying to fix it. Trump has repeatedly spoken about the shutdown, met with Democratic leaders, and issued calls for a clean reopening of the government — most notably urging them to “stop the madness.”
“Democrats are holding it up. They want $1.5T for… illegal aliens that come into our country… That will really hurt the health care that we have in the country and, frankly, we’d like to see better health care — period.”pic.twitter.com/KQDpXxo4Tk
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) October 30, 2025
And what are Democrats doing in the meantime? Voting against pay for the military. Voting against funding the SNAP program. Voting against backpay for working federal employees. Why? Because ending the shutdown without extracting political concessions from Republicans doesn’t fit their strategy.
So when Lemire and others parrot this “Trump’s fault” narrative, they’re not just ignoring political reality — they’re helping launder the responsibility for a shutdown that squarely sits with the Senate Democrats.
