Trump: Don't Let Them Eat Cake

: Jamie Stiehm on Nov 12, 2025

So, how was your Remembrance Sunday?

The British Parliament -- and people -- wear red poppy symbols to honor soldiers who fell in the Great War trenches, World War II and ever since.

The U.S. Senate had one Remembrance Sunday, Nov. 9, that I'll never forget. As night fell outside the Capitol, you could feel the shutdown political theater turn tragic.

Call it Remembrance Tuesday. Democrats swept the Nov. 4 elections, with women winning governor races in New Jersey and Virginia. California passed Gov. Gavin Newson's move to redistrict several House seats to favor more Democrats.

Just five days after the party triumph in elections swept across the country, eight members of the Democratic caucus found a way to throw the upper hand away in the 40-day government shutdown. They joined 52 Republicans to meekly surrender.

That's like losing Wimbledon after blowing a match point.

The worst part is not that Democrats lost their stand over rising health care premiums. The worst part is that President Donald Trump wins -- again -- through brute force.

Never did he blink nor shift his hard line. The closure of the federal government did not disturb the man who already burned much of it to the ground.

Chaos and confusion are his favorite form of governing. When the government reopens in mid-November, things will only seem slightly more "normal."

Four men and four women senators snuffed out the euphoria and momentum Democrats built by running hard against Trump. Marchers and voters voiced their disapproval loud and clear. Public opinion of the president is sinking underwater.

Backstage, their 39 Senate colleagues were aghast and angry that the eight cracked unity in their showdown with Trump.

The minority leader, Chuck Schumer, had a similar failure in March, joining a group of eight dissenters himself. This time, he stayed with the consensus, but his leadership is under fire.

Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D) kept tight party discipline in the much larger House. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries is ready to do the same.

Finally, finally, Democrats were finding chinks in Trump's armor and aura of invincibility. There's a saying that when you aim at the king, you'd best not miss.

Democrats lost a chance to showcase Trump's cruel colors like never before.

Even I was shocked when he refused full federal funding for food stamps during this difficult patch for 42 million American kids, families and seniors.

They aren't his voters, OK?

There's a German word for Trump's actions in blocking food and nutrition for the poor and hobbling air travel during the Thanksgiving holiday season. "Schadenfreude" means taking pleasure out of others' pain.

We've never had a president who practices the politics of hatred -- or, at best, vengeance -- as a guiding principle.

To be fair, Senate floor speeches all day were a complex brew of health care, food assistance, travel snarls and the thousands of furloughed federal workers bearing the brunt of the 40-day shutdown.

During the marathon, Republican leader John Thune needed 60 votes, under Senate rules, and that is exactly what he got. Not one more or less, which makes me wonder why Dick Durbin, the Democratic whip, was one of the eight who crossed the aisle.

Durbin, 80, is retiring. Palace intrigue: Was he carrying water for others?

Once Schumer seized on Affordable Care Act subsidies as the centerpiece of Democratic demands, he started messaging a little too late in September.

Trump's massive summer bill for tax breaks for the wealthy, paid for by spiraling health coverage costs, should have sunk in sooner to the public than it did.

Soon the ACA's sky-high costs will become crystal clear to millions of households as a kitchen table issue. Democrats say that will bring blue victory in the 2026 midterms.

For now, that's bittersweet, cold comfort. "The battle may have been lost, but the war can still be won," steady Dan Rather wrote.

Note, America, don't forget.

Trump refused to deal with the crisis at all, preferring to golf, party, pardon his cronies, tear down a wing of the White House and meet with dubious foreign leaders. He got booed at a Commanders football game.

Usually, I love political drama. This time, I could not bear to watch.

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The author may be reached at JamieStiehm.com. To find out more about Jamie Stiehm and other Creators Syndicate columnists and cartoonists, please visit creators.com.

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