President Donald Trump on Wednesday again insisted the government shutdown over funding for a border wall is working—and that federal employees on “social media” are backing him up.
Trump’s comments, as Mediaite reports, came after he was asked about workers who have been furloughed or working without pay.
“Many of those people that you’re talking about—so humanly the way you express it—but many of those people that you talk about are on my side,” Trump said.
He continued: “I’ve had so many people, the beautiful thing is with social media, the world can write to you, and you take a look at social media, and so many of those people are saying, ‘It’s very hard for me, it’s very hard for my family, but Mr. President, you’re doing the right thing. Get it done.'”
He also reportedly confused the word “patriots” for “patriarchs,” saying, “they love our country, and they want to see it be done.”
Despite having no support for these claims, Trump made similar statements in the past week. “Many of those people that won’t be receiving a paycheck, many of those people agree 100 percent with what I’m doing,” he said on Friday.
Meanwhile, media reports this week have dived into the ways the shutdown is putting financial pressure on workers—from Coast Guard to TSA employees—and their families.
H/T Mediaite