Bernie Sanders, U.S. Senator from Vermont, President: Do Not Shut Down the Government", 13 September 2025

Donald Trump was recently asked about negotiating with the Democrats to avoid a government shutdown. “Don’t even bother dealing with them,” the president said. “If you gave them every dream, they would not vote for it.” Well, I don’t know about Democrats, Mr. President, but as an Independent I am prepared to vote with you if you simply do what the American people want. At a time when 60% of our people are living paycheck to paycheck I don’t think it’s a “dream” to ask that you: Not slash Medicaid and throw 15 million people off their health insurance, resulting in over 50,000 deaths a year. Not raise health care premiums by 75%, on average, for over 20 million Americans due to cuts to the Affordable Care Act. Not, at a time of unprecedented income and wealth inequality, give the richest people in America a trillion dollars in tax breaks. Not cut nutrition programs for hungry kids. Not make it harder for young people to get a higher education. Mr. President, your party controls the House, the Senate and the White House. Do not shut down the government. If you come to an agreement on these issues, you’ve got my vote.

— Bernie Sanders on Presidency of Donald Trump

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Donald Trump was recently asked about negotiating with the Democrats to avoid a government shutdown. “Don’t even bother dealing with them,” the president said. “If you gave them every dream, they would not vote for it.” Well, I don’t know about Democrats, Mr. President, but as an Independent I am prepared to vote with you if you simply do what the American people want. At a time when 60% of our people are living paycheck to paycheck I don’t think it’s a “dream” to ask that you: Not slash Medicaid and throw 15 million people off their health insurance, resulting in over 50,000 deaths a year. Not raise health care premiums by 75%, on average, for over 20 million Americans due to cuts to the Affordable Care Act. Not, at a time of unprecedented income and wealth inequality, give the richest people in America a trillion dollars in tax breaks. Not cut nutrition programs for hungry kids. Not make it harder for young people to get a higher education. Mr. President, your party controls the House, the Senate and the White House. Do not shut down the government. If you come to an agreement on these issues, you’ve got my vote." in the context of "Bernie Sanders, U.S. Senator from Vermont, President: Do Not Shut Down the Government", 13 September 2025" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Presidency of Donald Trump" (Quotes, Second presidency (2025–present), September 2025) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Bernie Sanders

About Bernie Sanders

Bernard Sanders (born September 8, 1941) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States Senator from Vermont since 2007. The U.S. Representative for the state's at-large congressional district from 1991 to 2007, he is the longest-serving independent in U.S. congressional history and a member of the Democratic caucus. Sanders ran unsuccessfully for the 2016 and 2020 Democratic nomination for president.