Part 9/10:
The shutdown’s conclusion signifies a major victory for Republicans. They did not capitulate, and the political narrative now is skewed in their favor. Trump’s strategic maneuvers and the internal chaos within the Democrats have rendered their shutdown effort a spectacular failure—one that has further damaged the broader Democratic brand.
Even liberals like Jon Stewart acknowledged the “world-class collapse” of the Democrats’ strategy, recognizing the spectacle as a prime example of political miscalculation.