President Donald Trump finally stepped out of the White House on Wednesday night after staying out of sight during the opening hours of the government shutdown. His first public appearance was for dinner with Vice President JD Vance and his family at the Naval Observatory, ABC News reported.
Vance has often mentioned that Trump would be on his dream dinner list if he could share a table with three people, living or dead. The meeting gave him the chance to make that wish a reality. Trump’s low profile earlier in the day drew heavy criticism. CNN’s Erin Burnett noted his unusual silence on the first day of the shutdown, saying, “We have not seen Trump today.
We have not heard from Trump today. We haven’t heard his voice. On the first day of a government shutdown, as the Trump administration says layoffs are imminent, there is no sign of the president of the United States. And it is no secret to anyone, anywhere in the world, that Trump loves to be seen.”
CNN correspondent Jeff Zeleny said Trump’s absence looked intentional. “It signals first and foremost, he does not want to be out front or the face of this shutdown, at least on its opening day,” Zeleny said.
Behind the scenes, Trump kept up a steady flow of posts on Truth Social. He shared memes and messages of support from followers while blasting Democrats. He urged Republicans to “use this opportunity of Democrat forced closure to clear out dead wood, waste, and fraud.”
The president also announced plans for a Thursday meeting with Russell Vought, the conservative policy adviser behind “Project 2025.” Though he skipped press conferences, Trump did sit for a friendly interview with One America News.
He admitted he was worried about the midterms, telling OAN’s Daniel Baldwin, “The one thing that I worry about is that, if you look over many, many years—I don’t have the numbers—but the person that wins the presidency always seems to lose the midterms.”
He quickly shifted to highlight his record, claiming he had “solved” seven wars and adding, “I think we’re at the top of the list in terms of doing well.”
Trump’s reemergence with Vance came as the shutdown entered its 19th hour, with federal workers bracing for possible layoffs and both sides digging in for a fight with no resolution in sight.