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angus king
Angus King Denounced for Claiming 'Standing Up to Trump Didn’t Work' After Shutdown Cave
"Bold choice going with a strategy of 'we are losers,'" wrote one critic of King's statement.
Nov 10, 2025
Sen. Angus King, one of the senators who broke with the majority of the Democratic caucus to support a deal to end the federal government shutdown, drew swift anger when defending his vote on Monday morning.
During an appearance on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," King (I-Maine) tried to make the case that shutting down the government had only given President Donald Trump a free hand to consolidate power in the White House.
"In terms of standing up to Donald Trump, the shutdown actually gave him more power, Exhibit A being what he's done with [the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program]," he said. "So, standing up to Donald Trump didn't work, it actually gave him more power."
Sen. Angus King: "Standing up to Donald Trump didn't work" pic.twitter.com/Y751B5SajR
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 10, 2025
Senate Democrats who supported the deal have been denounced by progressives, and even some moderates, for agreeing to fund the federal government without securing an extension for enhanced tax credits for people who buy health insurance through Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchanges. The tax credits have been at the center of the shutdown—the longest in US history—but the Democrats who voted with the GOP did so after securing only the Republicans' claim that they'll hold a vote on healthcare in the future.
Polls have shown a majority of voters have blamed the Republican Party for the shutdown, and a plurality of respondents to a KFF survey last week said Democrats should hold firm in their demand on healthcare subsidies. Trump said last week that the election results put more pressure on the GOP—not the Democrats—to take action to end the shutdown.
Additionally, the decision to cave on the shutdown came less than a week after Democrats won sweeping victories in key elections where candidates unapologetically stood up to Trump and vowed to fight his administration's unpopular policies.
Given this, King's statement that "standing up to Donald Trump didn't work" was met by swift and immediate blowback.
"Bold choice going with a strategy of 'we are losers,'" wrote Matt Gertz, senior fellow at Media Matters for America, in a post on X.
"Breaking Points" host Krystal Ball reacted with angry profanity to King's statement.
"Jesus fucking Christ," she fumed. "Resign. Genuinely just fucking resign."
Photographer Brett Banditelli accused King and his likeminded Democratic senators who supported the deal of "living in another reality."
"They're just DC brained," he wrote on Bluesky. "They live in a world where Politico and Punchbowl News are the most important publications."
Indivisible cofounder Leah Greenberg sarcastically imagined Democrats incorporating such "inspiring messaging" about failing to stand up to Trump into fundraising appeals.
Fordham University economist Tony Annett marveled at King's belief that it was ineffective to stand up to a president with historically low approval ratings, which stood at just over 41% last month according to one poll.
"No wonder their brand is in the toilet," he said of the Democratic Party.
A Pew Research poll released in late October found that two-thirds of Democratic voters said they were "frustrated" by the party, with the top listed reason being that Democrats have "not pushed back hard enough against the Trump administration."
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'No Aid of Any Kind' to Netanyahu While Gaza Starves: Longtime Israel-Backing Senator
"I cannot defend the indefensible," said Sen. Angus King.
Jul 28, 2025
A longtime supporter of military aid to Israel in the U.S. Senate is drawing a red line amid the ongoing starvation crisis in Gaza.
Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) on Monday released a statement saying he would not vote to support any more aid to Israel unless Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government drastically reversed course to allow more food and other life-saving supplies to enter Gaza.
In a statement flagged on X by Dylan Williams, the vice president for government affairs at the Center for International Policy, King delivered a harsh rebuke to the Israeli government for its role in the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding under its watch.
"I cannot defend the indefensible," King's statement began. "Israel's actions in the conduct of the war in Gaza, especially its failure to address the unimaginable humanitarian crisis now unfolding, is an affront to human decency. What appears to be a deliberately-induced famine among a civilian population—including tens of thousands of starving children—can never be an acceptable military strategy."
King emphasized that he supported Israel's right to retaliate after the October 7, 2023 attacks on the country by Hamas, but then said "that tragic event cannot in turn justify the enormous toll on Palestinian civilians caused by Israel's relentless bombing campaign and its indifference to the current plight of those trapped in what's left of Gaza."
The Maine senator then vowed to back up his words with actions.
"I am through supporting the actions of the current Israeli government and will advocate—and vote—for an end to any United States support whatsoever until there is a demonstrable change in the direction of Israeli policy," he said. "My litmus test will be simple: No aid of any kind as long as there are starving children in Gaza due to the action or inaction of the Israeli government."
Israel has come under increased international pressure as images and video footage of starving children has been pouring out of Gaza in recent weeks. The Israeli government over the weekend announced a tactical "pause" in its Gaza military campaign to allow more humanitarian assistance into the area, although critics such as Bushra Khalidi, Oxfam policy lead for the occupied Palestinian territory, described the Israeli measures as woefully inadequate in the face of mass starvation.
"Deadly airdrops and a trickle of trucks won't undo months of engineered starvation in Gaza," said Khalidi on Sunday. "What's needed is the immediate opening of all crossings for full, unhindered, and safe aid delivery across all of Gaza and a permanent cease-fire. Anything less risks being little more than a tactical gesture."
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Refuting Netanyahu's Lie, Trump Acknowledges 'Real Starvation' in Gaza
"Trump and Congress must decide: Will you continue to support the starvation of children, or are you willing to use all possible U.S. leverage to stop this horrific humanitarian disaster?" said Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Jul 28, 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday refuted fugitive Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's lie that "there is no starvation in Gaza"—where health officials reported 14 more deaths from malnutrition in the past 24 hours—as critics underscored that Trump is what one Democratic lawmaker called "a willing accomplice" to the horror.
Trump, who met British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Turnberry, Scotland, was asked by a reporter whether he agrees with Netanyahu's false claim.
"I don't know. I mean, based on television, I would say not particularly because those children look very hungry," the president replied. "That's real starvation stuff. I see it, and you can't fake that."
Trump also repeated an Israeli claim that Hamas is stealing food aid—an assertion refuted by his own administration, as well as IDF officials.
The Gaza Health Ministry said Monday that at least 14 Palestinians had starved to death in the past 24 hours, bringing the number of malnutrition deaths to 147—including 88 children—since Israel launched it assault and siege of Gaza following the Hamas-led attack of October 2023.
Gaza's Government Media Office warned Monday that "there is an imminent risk of death for thousands of infants in the Gaza Strip due to the Israeli occupation's ban on the entry of baby formula."
U.S. Vice President JD Vance told reporters Monday during a visit to Canton, Ohio: "I don't know if you've all seen these images. You have got some really, really heartbreaking cases. You've got little kids who are clearly starving to death. Israel's got to do more to let that aid in. And we've also got to wage war on Hamas."
Israel has been accused by United Nations officials of "flagrant disregard" for International Court of Justice orders to prevent genocidal acts and allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Trump said Monday that the U.S. is "going to set up food centers where the people can walk in and no boundaries, we're not going to have fences."
More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli troops while seeking aid at distribution points run by the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, according to the United Nations human rights office. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officers and soldiers say they were ordered to shoot and shell civilians at GHF aid centers.
The president also said that the U.S. will "supply funds... to spend a little money on some food" for Gazans. On Sunday, the president claimed that the U.S. recently gave $60 million worth of food to Gaza "and nobody even acknowledged it."
"Nobody talks about it," he added. "And it makes you feel a little bad when you do that...and nobody said, 'Thank you very much.'"
Trump provided no evidence to support his $60 million claim. Last month, The Guardian reported that the U.S. had authorized a $30 million grant for the GHF.
The mounting starvation deaths in Gaza have garnered widespread U.S. media attention and drawn rebuke from an increasing number of American politicians—including staunch supporters of Israel.
Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) said Monday in a statement that "I cannot defend the indefensible... I am through supporting the actions of the current Israeli government and will advocate—and vote—for an end to any United States support whatsoever until there is a demonstrable change in the direction of Israeli policy."
Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) said Sunday on social media: "More Palestinian children dying of starvation. Netanyahu's spokesperson keeps lying and his war by starvation keeps killing. Trump, once again, too weak to stand up to Netanyahu, is a willing accomplice. Belated, token airdrops offer no aid [for] any of the sick, disabled, and elderly still alive."
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt), a vocal critic of the Netanyahu government, posted the following on the social media site X:
Although the IDF said it had begun implementing "tactical pauses" in some parts of Gaza on Sunday, at least 62 Palestinians were killed by Israeli attacks in the strip, including 34 aid-seekers.
At least 59,773 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza since October 2023, most of them women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. More than 144,000 others have been wounded. At least 14,000 people are also missing and presumed dead and buried beneath the rubble of bombed buildings.
On Monday, the Israeli groups B'Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel joined the many international organizations and experts calling Israel's obliteration of Gaza a genocide. The International Court of Justice is currently weighing a genocide case against Israel brought by South Africa.
Meanwhile, Israel is seeking the Trump administration's assistance as it pursues a plan to ethnically cleanse Gaza of its Palestinians, including by forcibly relocating them into concentration camps. Trump previously proposed the ethnic cleansing of Gaza so that the coastal enclave can be transformed into the "Riviera of the Middle East."
On Monday, Trump claimed he told Netanyahu during a weekend phone call, "Bibi... you have to now maybe do it a different way."
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