On October 2, 2025, as the U.S. government shutdown entered its second day, President Donald Trump unleashed a barrage of incendiary posts on Truth Social, labeling the Democratic Party as "the party of hate, evil, and Satan." The meme, which quickly circulated across social media and news outlets, featured images of prominent Democratic leaders including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, former President Joe Biden, and former First Lady Jill Biden. Superimposed atop these photos were the words: "THE PARTY OF HATE, EVIL, AND SATAN." Trump’s post didn’t stop there. It declared, "The Democratic Party is Dead! They have no leadership! No message! No hope! Their only message for America is to hate Trump!" according to HuffPost and The Daily Beast.
This outburst came at a time of heightened political tension, with Congress deadlocked over a continuing resolution bill to end the government shutdown. As The Independent reported, despite Republicans controlling both chambers of Congress, they were unable to secure the necessary Democratic support to pass a House resolution that would have restored funding for government agencies before the October 1 deadline. The sticking point? Democrats insisted on an extension of Covid-era healthcare premium subsidies for the Affordable Care Act, arguing that without these subsidies, premiums for more than 20 million Americans could more than double—from $888 to $1,904—once they expire at the end of December.
The failure to reach an agreement left as many as 750,000 federal employees unpaid and public services slashed to a minimum. Trump, meanwhile, took to social media to stoke the flames. In addition to the meme, he posted a surreal AI-generated "Don't Fear the Reaper" music video, casting budget director Russell Vought as a scythe-wielding Grim Reaper, with Trump himself on cowbell and Vice President JD Vance on drums, as reported by The Daily Beast.
Trump’s online campaign didn’t stop with memes and music videos. Earlier in the week, he posted a doctored, AI-generated video depicting House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in a sombrero and fake mustache, accompanied by blaring mariachi music—a clear nod to long-standing, race-baiting Republican talking points about Democrats and immigration. Democrats swiftly condemned the posts as racist and dangerous, while most Republicans, according to The Daily Beast, shrugged them off. Speaker Mike Johnson, when pressed by reporters, reportedly said the video was "not my style," but declined to issue a formal denouncement.
As the shutdown dragged on, Trump doubled down on his rhetoric. He met with Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought to discuss which "Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM," should face cuts, according to The Independent. Trump added, "I can’t believe Radical Left Democrats have given me the unprecedented opportunity to do so." Yet, despite his public bluster, Trump had previously canceled a meeting with Schumer and House Minority Leader Jeffries, only meeting with them at the last minute in the Oval Office without reaching any compromise.
Amid the standoff, public opinion seemed to be shifting. A Washington Post poll found that 47% of Americans blamed Trump and GOP lawmakers for the shutdown, compared to 30% who blamed Democrats. This suggested that, despite the president’s attempts to pin the blame on his opponents—branding the closure a "Democrat Shutdown"—the public was not entirely convinced.
Trump’s rhetorical escalation was not an isolated incident. In the weeks leading up to the shutdown, he had repeatedly used inflammatory language against his political opponents. At the memorial service for conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who had been shot and killed just days before, Trump spoke openly about how much he "hates" his political adversaries. At a recent White House Faith Office luncheon, he described Democrats as "evil people." He has also labeled his opponents "fascists," "enemies of the people," "the enemy within," and "threats to democracy," as chronicled by HuffPost and Truthout.
Trump’s posts came just weeks after he and other Republican leaders had called on Democrats to tone down what they described as hateful rhetoric, especially in the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s murder. Yet, as Truthout noted, Trump himself has frequently peddled violent rhetoric and incited hostility against his political foes. He even signed an executive order last month designating "antifa" as a domestic terrorist organization, despite the lack of a clear legal framework for such a designation. On October 3, 2025, Trump reportedly told U.S. military generals to prepare to target "the enemy within," a phrase he has used to refer to progressives and those with left-leaning views.
Meanwhile, studies have consistently shown that right-wing extremist violence is responsible for the overwhelming majority of politically motivated fatalities in the U.S. since 2001. According to a study cited by The Conversation and referenced by Truthout, right-wing extremist violence has accounted for approximately 75% to 80% of U.S. domestic terrorism deaths over the past two decades.
The shutdown itself remained at a stalemate. Democrats insisted that any funding deal must include protections for health care subsidies, warning of devastating consequences for millions of Americans if premiums were allowed to skyrocket. Republicans, on the other hand, accused Democrats of engineering the shutdown by "loading up" the bill with health-care demands and refusing to negotiate in good faith. The White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told The Daily Beast, "President Trump is right about everything." Yet, the administration’s refusal to offer any concessions or moderate its language did little to break the impasse.
In the midst of all this, the political climate in Washington grew ever more toxic. Marjorie Taylor Greene, once a staunch Trump ally, emerged as one of his most vocal critics, according to Fox News’ Howie Kurtz. Meanwhile, in a rare moment of progress for gender equality in the church, the first female was named Archbishop of Canterbury—though that news was quickly overshadowed by the ongoing political drama in the U.S.
As the days ticked by, federal workers waited anxiously for their paychecks, public services remained hobbled, and the nation watched as its leaders traded barbs instead of solutions. In this high-stakes standoff, one thing was clear: the rhetoric had reached a fever pitch, and the path to compromise seemed as elusive as ever.
