House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, left, and House Democratic Caucus Vice Chair Ted Lieu take questions from reporters on the first day of the federal government shutdown on Oct. 1, 2025.

As we embark on the fourth government shutdown that has happened under a Trump presidency, I join my fellow Americans in asking this most-crucial question: If the government is shuttered, does that mean we won’t have to hear Donald Trump’s babbling or see his raving social media posts?

I mean, it seems a full shutdown of the federal government should act as a sort of mute button on the president. From here on, he can keep talking, but we can’t hear a word he says, the sort of blissful world many of us can only imagine, one free of Trump’s mean-spirited gurgles and offensive Truth Social posts.

In a just America, that’s what would happen because this shutdown is wholly and entirely the fault of Trump and the Republican toadies who do his bidding.

This government shutdown belongs to Trump and Republicans. Period.

Regardless of which direction GOP lawmakers point their fingers, the government is shutting down while they have complete control of Congress and the White House. They have a president who claims to be the greatest dealmaker to ever walk the planet, but they have no deal? Democrats tried to negotiate with them, primarily over health care price issues that are about to wallop a large swath of the population, but they wouldn’t budge.

Trump and Co. can blame the shutdown on “the radical left” all they want, but that kind of blah-blah is fodder only for right-wing trolls and terminally online MAGA fanboys. Regular people are going to see government services grind to a halt, or see their own federal jobs suspended indefinitely, and they’re going to blame the people in charge of the government.

If they shut down the government, Trump's mouth should shut as well

The only real positive to come from this, assuming Republicans refuse to sit down with Democrats and find a way to actually make people’s lives better, would be if it silenced the loudest of the loudmouths – President Trump himself.

Sorry, Mr. President, the government is shut down, so you have to shut your mouth down as well. And your fingers. No more posting racist artificial intelligence videos showing Democrats wearing sombreros on Truth Social. (Yes, that really happened.) In fact, all social media posts from Trump should appear with a box that reads “SHUT DOWN UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE,” blocking out his text.

As we’ve seen recently with late-night shows, the administration views the First Amendment as optional, so I’m sure they’ll be fine with temporarily pulling the plug on Trump’s various microphones. Maybe they can keep him occupied with a firetruck he can drive around the White House parking lot. Or let him focus on how to squeeze extra gold fixtures into the massive ballroom he’s building at the White House while Americans deal with a stalled government and rising food prices.

Trump fancies himself a dealmaker, yet here we are with another shutdown

Look, the fact that our government can’t keep itself running is pathetic under any circumstances. But the fact that President Imma Dealmaker, with his own party in full control of Congress, can’t keep it running is farcical.

This will hurt people. This will hurt the economy. But the Democratic leaders were right to stand strong and not get bulldozed by congressional Republicans when Americans insured under the Affordable Care Act are staring down “a more than 75% increase in average out-of-pocket premium payments,” according to a report by the health policy group KFF.

With current GOP cuts to ACA subsidies, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that 4 million Americans could lose their insurance in the next decade.

The shutdown will be painful, but Trump's silence would be most welcome

The Republicans could have reached a deal with the Democrats on an issue that will negatively impact millions. Instead, they let a shutdown happen.

So is it really too much to ask that this unnecessary Trump-led shutdown come with a requirement that he stop talking until his party gets the government up and running again?

Most of this federal halt is going to be terrible, so it seems we’re owed a bit of silence. How golden would that be?

Follow USA TODAY columnist Rex Huppke on Bluesky at @rexhuppke.bsky.social and on Facebook at facebook.com/RexIsAJerk

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Does a government shutdown also shut Donald Trump's mouth? That would be nice. | Opinion

Reporting by Rex Huppke, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect