The government shutdown, which is now in play, hinges largely on a handful of policies which place Republicans and Democrats at an impasse.  One such issue is the Democrat demand that Trump bring back Affordable Care Act (ACA) coverage for immigrants, an idea that Trump has rejected outright.

Republicans say the Democrats are trying to buy loyalty (and future votes) from illegal migrants using welfare handouts paid for with citizen tax dollars.  Democrats claim this is a GOP lie and that they only want coverage for "immigrants with a lawful presence". 

Of course, this language is very carefully chosen by progressives for a reason:  Asylum seekers are considered by them to be migrants with "a lawful presence" and they do qualify for ACA coverage under previous policies.  Most asylum seekers that entered the US during the Biden Administration do not actually qualify for asylum.  They simply lie about their circumstances, and Democrats made this process easy.  

In other words, Trump and the Republicans are correct - Democrats are trying to give healthcare handouts to illegals.  They are simply playing a game of semantics, using the immigration status gray area to their advantage.

This is very similar to the game played by politicians in the UK, who say they plan to stop all "illegal immigration" while they are actually increasing the flow of migrants by making more of them technically legal. 

In response to the Democrat's dishonest language, Trump posted an AI meme featuring Senator Chuck Schumer and Democrat House Leader Hakeem Jeffries in a sombrero and bandito mustache. 

Democrats reacted to the meme with the usual hysteria, playing victim and declaring the President's message "racist".  The fervor over the AI clip has only grown, a typical leftist tactic designed to distract the public away from the factual message and make the debate about how much they are offended.  

Chuck Schumer declared the meme "petty and childish", a language which Democrats are usually find of.

Hakeem Jeffries (Dollar Store Obama) was not happy about the clip.  He warned the public that the video "is an AI fake" (obviously), and challenged Trump to say what he had to say "to his face in the Oval Office".  Apparently, Jeffries wants Trump to dress him up in a sombrero and fake mustache.  

Trump was unimpressed with the victim narrative of Jeffries and the Dems.  His response left no confusion about his stance:

There are at least 1.4 million migrants that qualify for the ACA, many of them under refugee and asylum status granted to them under the Biden Administration.  Democrats are trying to keep this coverage in place while Trump is seeking to remove it. 

Frankly, no migrant should qualify for any benefits paid for with American tax dollars unless they are naturalized and have resided in the US for a number of years.  The notion that millions of foreigners have near immediate access to welfare merely because a Democrat controlled administration deemed them "lawful" is unacceptable.  Democrats stand to benefit most from the eventual votes those people would give them in exchange for handouts and sweeping amnesty.   It's not racist to point this out, it's common sense.