Trump Calls Shutdown Opportunity to Fire Thousands of Federal Workers

President Trump has warned that the ongoing government shutdown will let him fire thousands of federal employees and permanently cancel projects championed by Democrats. In an OANN interview, he claimed the lapse in funding grants him "extraordinary powers" to reshape the bureaucracy—calling the impasse an "opportunity" to clear out "dead wood."

President Trump's DHS has escalated high-profile deportations, keeping Fort Wayne businessman Paramjit Singh behind bars as his eyesight fades from a brain tumor. Lawyers say DHS lawyers 'automatically stayed' his bond bid over a disputed forgery conviction. Across the Midwest, other long-time residents—including a beloved pizza worker—face similar removal proceedings that critics call overreach.

House Speaker Mike Johnson nodded in agreement when Rep. Madeleine Dean warned that President Trump is "unwell" following his erratic speech to hundreds of generals at Quantico. Dean pressed Johnson to denounce both the bizarre military address and a racist AI deepfake mocking Hakeem Jeffries—concerns he admitted he "didn't control," signaling rare GOP unease over the president's fitness.