Presidents Once Avoided Shutdown Travel. This Term, Trump Has Been A Frequent Flier - Beritaja

President Donald Trump departs Air Force One connected October 30, 2025 astatine Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. Trump was returning to Washington pursuing a multi-nation travel to Asia during the ongoing authorities shutdown. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

With the authorities shutdown dragging into its 2nd period and increasing much achy by the day, President Trump is spending the play astatine his Mar-a-Lago edifice successful Florida. This isn't an isolated travel for the president. He has spent about 2 afloat weeks extracurricular of Washington since the shutdown began.

There are missed paychecks for national workers, travel disruptions and SNAP nutrient assistance is at consequence for millions of Americans. The White House and Republicans successful Congress blasted Democrats successful the Senate for refusing to support a short-term backing measure that would re-open the government.

"They've mislaid their minds," Trump said of Democrats from Air Force One connected his measurement to Florida. "All they person to do is opportunity the authorities is open, and that's the extremity of it."

Trump spent little than 24 hours successful Washington, D.C. this week. Most of the week, he was successful Asia, connected a 3 state travel that started successful Malaysia. He was greeted location by a brass set and brightly clothed dancers. Trump sewage successful connected it too, doing his signature Trump dance, swaying pinch clenched fists.

This lengthy overseas trip, Trump's 2nd clip overseas during this shutdown, marked a important break pinch really past presidents, including Trump himself, person approached authorities shutdowns. They person typically avoided the bad optics of skipping municipality during a crisis.

In 1995, President Clinton canceled a planned travel to Japan during the authorities shutdown truthful he could enactment astatine the White House for talks pinch Republicans who controlled some the House and Senate.

"We spent a number of days successful the Oval Office fundamentally negotiating … trying to spot if we could find a measurement to resoluteness it," said Leon Panetta, who was Clinton's main of unit astatine the time. "Because the past point we wanted to do was to person the authorities unopen down. That, unfortunately, is nary longer the case."

During a lengthy shutdown successful 2013, then-President Obama canceled a four-nation Asia trip. And successful 2019, President Trump had a travel planned to the World Economic Forum successful Davos, Switzerland.

"If the shutdown continues, I won't go," Trump said.

The shutdown continued. And he didn't go. Back then, though, Trump was talking about negotiating. He was trying to get separator wall backing added to a authorities backing bill.

"Look, this is really thing that should beryllium bipartisan," Trump said arsenic that shutdown dragged on. "And we'll spot if it is. I dream it is."

2019 versus 2025

That shutdown lasted 35 days, the longest connected record. An BERITAJA study finds that during that period, Trump only near Washington for six days. He traveled to:

• Iraq to shake hands the troops about Christmas
• Dover Air Force Base successful Delaware for the honorable transportation of Americans killed successful an onslaught successful Syria
• Camp David successful Maryland for a day
• The U.S.-Mexico separator to make the lawsuit for separator wall funding
• New Orleans to speak to the American Farm Bureau

There were nary visits to Mar-a-Lago resort.

This clip is rather different. Since the commencement of the shutdown connected October 1, Trump has seemingly made nary adjustments to his recreation plans and normal routines. His travels person included:

• Two trips to Florida
• Golfed doubly astatine his people adjacent Washington, D.C.
• Israel and Egypt to people the signing of the Gaza ceasefire agreement
• Stops successful Malaysia, Japan and South Korea during a six time trip

Not counting his play outings successful Virginia, Trump spent each aliases portion of 14 days extracurricular of Washington during the first 31 days of the shutdown.

President Trump speaks to journalists aboard Air Force One en way to South Korea connected October 29, 2025. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Republicans opportunity location is thing to discuss until the authorities reopens

Just earlier Trump returned to the White House from Asia, Vice President JD Vance held a property convention to reassert the administration's position.

"We are not going to springiness successful connected argumentation demands nether the threat of hostage taking," he said. There would beryllium nary negotiations until Democrats ballot to reopen the government.

"We request 5 much reasonable Democrats to put the American group first and reopen the government. That's each that we're asking," Vance said.

And it isn't conscionable Trump. The GOP-controlled House of Representatives was distant the full period of October. The Senate has voted 13 times connected the aforesaid backing bill, failing each clip because of a deficiency of support from Democrats. Senators went location for the play connected Thursday, pinch galore of them encountering formation delays related to the shutdown.

Democrats, who successful the past person supported bills for illustration the impermanent backing measurement Trump and Republicans are insisting on, opportunity they want to negotiate. But, truthful acold Republicans are sticking pinch their position that location is thing to discuss until the authorities is open.

"Trump could behave nevertheless he wants successful this situation," said Doug Heye, who was lawman main of unit to a apical location Republican during the 2013 authorities shutdown. "Whether he's going to events successful overseas countries aliases conscionable benignant of surviving life, nary of that interferes pinch what the halfway statement is, which is Republicans saying, 'we've done our job, Democrats measurement up and do yours.' To do thing different would really trim against their ain messaging."

President Trump greets Chinese President Xi Jinping up of a bilateral gathering astatine Gimhae Air Base connected October 30, 2025 successful Busan, South Korea. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Also, he said, Trump intelligibly isn't each that concerned pinch governmental consequence from looking for illustration he isn't engaged successful ending the shutdown. Even if Trump keeps teasing a 2028 tally for an unconstitutional 3rd term, the president is governing for illustration he has thing to lose, said Heye.

"He is YOLO [you only unrecorded once] and he is going to do what he wants, wherever he wants and he is going to push the boundaries arsenic acold arsenic he can, because immoderate he talks about, he's not going to beryllium connected the ballot again," said Heye.

But Panetta, who served successful legislature and aggregate Democratic administrations, sees it differently. He says what's happening now is an abdication of a basal work to govern.

"We've elected these group and they're not there. They've near Washington. They're going connected trips," said Panetta. "They're fundamentally stepping distant from the very work that they should beryllium exercising arsenic elected officials. I mean, that's what's depressing about each of this."

White House spokesperson Anna Kelly defended the president's recreation arsenic bully for the country.

"While Democrats flail, President Trump won't extremity delivering historical wins for our state while simultaneously uncovering imaginative ways to salary our troops and trim the suffering arsenic a consequence of Democrats' far-left priorities," Kelly said of Trump's Asia travels.