During an obligatory discussion about the second-longest government shutdown in U.S. history, Morning Joe guest and Politico columnist Jonathan Martin admitted on Wednesday that Democrats were holding out in defiance of President Trump while using health care as a “vehicle.” Trump hosted Senate Republicans for lunch at the White House on Tuesday, indicating a united Republican front.
Martin was asked by MSNBC’s Mike Barnicle about Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s (R-SD) role in the budget mishap, to which he answered by explaining the issue that had plagued Republican efforts: “He has offered an olive branch, promising Democrats that there'll be almost simultaneous votes to reopen the government and then address the health care issue. But I think Thune is running up against something, which is words we don't typically say, ‘Democratic unity.’”
Then came the most unexpected part of the morning show. Martin was candid about the real motivation behind Democrats refusing to strike a deal with Republicans:
And by the way, I think health care is the vehicle. But let's be honest, this is a general strike, and it's a general strike among Democrats against Donald Trump's abuse of power.
Simple as that. The want for healthcare, which was practically turned into an absolute right by President Obama, had been the excuse the Democrats needed to put up a real fight against their arch nemesis:
It's the only leverage they have. They don't control the House, Senate or White House. The one weapon they have in their arsenal politically is, “We can shut down the government because it takes 60 votes in the Senate to keep the government open.” That's all they got.
And that’s all they’ll get. Too bad Trump’s approval ratings were going up and Democrats’ were staying down.
Martin further elaborated that the opposition was a signal to left-wing voters: “This is their way of registering their opposition to Donald Trump's conduct, what you're talking about day in, day out.”
They’re still fighting the good fight, making sure that illegal aliens got Medicaid and civil servants stayed waiting in line at foodbanks.
Barnicle felt exhausted by the amount of activity that’s occurred during the first nine months of Trump’s second term and compared him to John Freaking Kennedy:
I mean, on this day in 1962, John F. Kennedy addressed the nation in the Cuban Missile Crisis. That was the highlight of his first year in the presidency, maybe the highlight of his first couple of years in the presidency. Now it's every day, multiple times a day, that we have to focus on something that happened, whether he's destroying the East Wing of the White House, whether he's on again, off again with Vladimir Putin.
Slow down, Trump! Ol’ Barney can’t keep up — he still thinks we’re in the sixties!
At least MSNBC got somebody who was honest for once. That’s a win for both sides.
The transcript is below. Click "expand" read:
MSNBC’s Morning Joe
October 22, 2025
6:28:18 a.m. Eastern(…)
MIKE BARNICLE: You know, the amazing thing about this is we are just nine months into the Trump presidency and the level of exhaustion that he has provided each and every day is just beyond belief. It's historical. You just can't imagine it. I mean, on this day in 1962, John F. Kennedy addressed the nation in the Cuban Missile Crisis. That was the highlight of his first year in the presidency, maybe the highlight of his first couple of years in the presidency. Now it's every day, multiple times a day, that we have to focus on something that happened, whether he's destroying the East Wing of the White House, whether he's on again, off again with Vladimir Putin.
The question on the budget that I have, J. Mart, you would be probably well primed to answer this, given the fact that you're in Washington most of the time. Where is John Thune, who seems to have an element of common sense in him? Where is he on this?
JONATHAN MARTIN: I think John Thune was hoping Democrats would fold in the first week or 10 days. But I think it was perhaps a conventional thought in Washington and hope that they could peel off six, seven more Democrats beyond the three that I think first voted to keep the government open. And it just hasn't happened. And, so, I think Thune is now basically wedded to the Trump-Johnson theory of just trying to hold out, hold out.
He has offered an olive branch, promising Democrats that there'll be almost simultaneous votes to reopen the government and then address the health care issue. But I think Thune is running up against something, which is words we don't typically say, “Democratic unity.”
And by the way, I think health care is the vehicle. But let's be honest, this is a general strike, and it's a general strike among Democrats against Donald Trump's abuse of power. It's the only leverage they have. They don't control the House, Senate or White House. The one weapon they have in their arsenal politically is, “We can shut down the government because it takes 60 votes in the Senate to keep the government open.” That's all they got.
This is their way of registering their opposition to Donald Trump's conduct, what you're talking about day in, day out. Health care is good politics at polls. Well, I understand that. Yeah, this is more a general — half the country is up in arms about how this man is running the —
MIKA BRZEZINKSI: Yeah.
MARTIN: — America. And this is what we're going to do to say, “You know what half of America? We get it. We hear you. We're with you. We’re pissed too.”
BRZEZINSKI: Yeah. And you see those protests where they had two million more than last June. So maybe, yeah.
MARTIN: Totally.
(…)
