Do you remember Donald Trump’s initial term in office? This week provides a familiar scenario – governing has become synonymous with weakness. Causing disruption in order to thrive from it is back in vogue.

The fate of government funding hangs in the balance as we transition from Friday night to Saturday morning. There’s a real possibility we could face yet another Trump-induced government shutdown. The U.S. House is gearing up for a vote on funding, likely happening Thursday night, with Trump throwing his weight behind a last-minute funding proposal.

A potential government shutdown could potentially coincide with the Christmas season. Once again.

Republicans are clearly seeking disorder and attention

What’s driving this chaos? U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana and staunch Trump supporter, dared to engage in negotiations for a proposed agreement that would enable government funding through mid-March. This complicated plan included provisions for disaster relief, aid to farmers, and several other aspects.

In the 2022 midterms, American voters opted for a closely divided Congress, resulting in a slim Republican majority in the House. This puts Johnson in a position where he often needs Democratic votes to achieve his goals.

This situation arises because the far-right faction of the Republican Party consists of two types of members: those who rigidly believe that any governance deviating from their ideology is corrupt, and those who realize that throwing public tantrums and leveraging social media can be profitable.

Both types receive $174,000 annually to govern and appear indifferent to the reality that they are neglecting their responsibilities while collecting their salaries. They generally represent heavily Republican districts where voters have been misled into believing that doing nothing is a savvy financial strategy.

Elon Musk has oddly become a Republican influencer

However, these reckless politicians pale in comparison to our president-elect and his unelected advisor, Elon Musk. Musk ignited the flames for a government shutdown on Wednesday through a series of misleading and erroneous posts on his social media platform X.

For instance, Musk spread a false narrative claiming that the continuing resolution designed to fund the government involved $3 billion allocated for a new NFL stadium in Washington, D.C., which is completely untrue. The actual budget agreement merely transferred control of the RFK Stadium site from the federal government to local governance.

Musk seems more interested in disseminating disinformation than sharing accurate details, all while threatening to back 2026 Republican primary challengers against any House member who supports the proposed budget deal.

Musk, having just completed a $250 million investment related to Trump’s presidency through often misleading campaign advertisements, possesses the financial means and dubious intent to carry out these threats. Following Musk’s cues, Trump demanded at the last minute that the budget deal be stripped of its funding while proposing an extension or removal of the debt ceiling needed for raising funds to meet creditors.

Trump understands the chaos he instigates will be pinned on Biden

Trump is currently trying to place blame on President Joe Biden for any potential government shutdown, especially considering that Biden will still be the sitting president until January 20.

It’s important to pause for a moment and reflect – can you think of any occasion where Trump has taken responsibility for something negative that involved him? Taking accountability is not something he seems to possess.

On Thursday, Trump informed ABC News that if the government were to shut down, it would be entirely Biden’s responsibility since he remains president until January 20.

This is ridiculous. However, Trump is aware that his loyal supporters will accept any narrative he presents, even as he and Musk mismanage opportunities. They are accountable for this situation.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a Democrat from New York, should consider buying a lottery ticket. He is quite fortunate that Republicans will soon control the White House and both Congress chambers while simultaneously engaging in infighting.

How can Democrats trust Republicans at this point?

The Democrats had reached an agreement with House Republicans, led by Speaker Johnson. However, due to the Republicans undermining this deal, Democrats can now deny support for any of Johnson’s alternative solutions – if he even finds one. They can justifiably claim that any agreement from Johnson is unreliable, entirely subject to Trump’s unpredictable decisions.

If this is how things are going to be – returning to Trump’s unpredictable social media antics, where no stance is permanent and everything is someone else’s fault – then Democrats can spend the next two years asking voters if this is what they really want.

Trump previously set the record for the longest, and arguably most unnecessary, government shutdown, lasting 35 days during his first tumultuous term between 2018 and 2019. This shutdown, which commenced just three days before Christmas, occurred due to Trump’s frustration when Congress refused to approve over $5 billion for his favored border wall project.

After that shutdown, Trump delivered a lengthy 2,000-word speech, yet not one word of it acknowledged his role in causing the crisis. Everything negative always seems to be blamed on someone else. Always.

This isn’t the first major initiative Trump has dismissed from outside the White House. Earlier this year, Senate Republicans, spearheaded by James Lankford of Oklahoma, devised a thorough and bipartisan proposal to enhance security along the southern border.

Yet Trump condemned it while campaigning, purely for selfish reasons. Any successes during Biden’s term could bolster Biden’s reputation while eliminating a key political issue for Trump to exploit.

Trump has no fresh strategies. He relies solely on his worn-out performances and clever dodging of responsibility. This will be the show we are bound to witness for four more years. It’s naive to believe that Trump is genuinely interested in leading. All he desires is to be in the limelight while everything around him collapses.