Trump Says He ‘Can Relate’ To Federal Workers Who Aren’t Getting Paid

By
Will Bishop
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President Donald Trump said Sunday that he could fully “relate” to federal workers who won’t be getting a paycheck on January 11. And he managed to do so without laughing.

Stopping briefly to speak with reporters before he boarded Marine One for a trip to Camp David, Trump repeated his demand for billions of dollars to construct a wall on the Southern border.

After his monologue, the president was asked by NBC News White House correspondent Kelly O’Donnell:

“Can you relate to the pain of federal workers who can’t pay their bills?”

Trump replied:

“I can relate.

“And I’m sure that the people that are on the receiving end will make adjustments. They always do. And they’ll make adjustments. People understand exactly what’s going on. But many of those people that won’t be receiving a paycheck, many of those people agree 100 percent with what I’m doing.”

When asked about federal workers who are reportedly calling in sick in protest of not receiving their pay, Trump commented:

“They have to do what they have to do.”

Of course, it’s hard to know what to make of anything this president says. For years, he swore his border wall would be constructed out of concrete. But in recent weeks, Trump has suggested steel slats might be acceptable. On Sunday, he again touched on the matter of what material would be used if he manages to extort $5 billion from Congress:

“The barrier or the wall can be of steel instead of concrete if that works better.”

Trump’s claim that he can relate to not being paid was met with derision on social media:

Featured Image Via NBC News

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