Trump hosts Rose Garden Club lunch with GOP senators as shutdown enters fourth week

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump turned the White House Rose Garden into a full-fledged Republican rally on Tuesday, October 21, as the government shutdown stretched into its fourth week with no resolution in sight.

Gathered under yellow umbrellas and clear autumn skies, nearly every Republican senator joined Trump for what was billed as a “Rose Garden Club” lunch, a mix of morale-boosting, political theater, and presidential defiance.

Donald Trump rallies Republicans with burgers and bravado

The lunch, held on the newly built White House patio, featured cheeseburgers, fries, and “Rose Garden chocolates.” The atmosphere was lighthearted, but Trump’s message was not.

Standing beside Senate Majority Leader John Thune, the president delivered a fiery address defending the GOP’s stance in the shutdown standoff.

“This is the fourth week of the Democrat shutdown, but we are all here today because your Republican team in the Senate is unified,” Thune said as Trump nodded approvingly.

“Everybody here has voted now 11 different times to open up the government, and we are going to keep voting. Eventually, the Democrats, hopefully sooner or later, are going to come around.”

Trump followed with his own sharp words, accusing Democrats of putting partisanship above the nation’s needs. “In a craven and pointless act of partisan spite,” he declared, “Chuck Schumer and the radical left Democrats are holding the entire federal government hostage to appease extremists in their party.”

The president’s approval rating, which had recently ticked up to 42% in a Reuters/Ipsos poll, seemed to fuel his upbeat tone as he mingled with senators and posed for photos between bites.

Chuck Schumer calls it ‘pep rally’ as shutdown toll grows

Across town, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer dismissed the Rose Garden event as “a pep rally” staged to distract from the ongoing crisis. “Republicans may not have time to fix people’s health care, but apparently they’ve got plenty of time for a mini pep rally with Donald Trump,” Schumer quipped on the Senate floor.

While the White House basked in its moment of unity, the reality outside its gates remained grim. The shutdown, now one of the longest in US history, had forced hundreds of thousands of federal employees to work without pay or face furloughs.

Programs such as Head Start and WIC, which provide essential services to millions of Americans, warned of imminent funding shortfalls. States scrambled to cover costs, and economic anxiety grew as the standoff dragged on.

Donald Trump vows to ‘stay the course’ as pressure mounts

Despite growing unrest, Trump showed no sign of backing down. Aides said he left the Rose Garden energized, convinced Republicans must stay the course.

“The president was in great spirits,” one senior official told reporters. “He believes the party is standing strong and that Democrats will eventually have to answer to the American people.”