This shutdown only proves one thing: Trump is willing to put the American people at risk to get his way. I genuinely do not understand why the government was put in shutdown to negotiate SNAP and why hundreds of thousands of federal workers had to work without pay. The deals could have been negotiated behind closed doors and everyone wouldn’t have been impacted by this. To make it a bit personal, I was scheduled to receive money from Americorps to fund my education. It was a bit late, so I called and they said that because of the shutdown, they weren’t sure when I would receive that money. It eventually came in, but what if it didn’t? I would have had to pay from my own pocket because Trump would rather withhold money than use it. 

–Chandler

In such a polarized time, crossing party lines seems impossible. For this reason, both men momentarily swallowing their pride to discuss what’s best for New Yorkers gave me cautious optimism. Trump’s positive portrait of Mamdani suggested that this meeting was not only good press but substantive. If Democrats are willing to work with Trump, he might not be as inflexible as they thought. Bipartisan work is not career suicide; we need politicians to put aside personal disagreements to get things done. I see AOC and Tim Burchett’s friendship as another positive sign that this trend is growing, with their work on stock trading regulation being common sense regulation that benefits Americans. If the two most polar opposite politicians in public life can sit down with each other, surely we can stomach our private Thanksgiving dinner with our radical uncle.

–Garrison

This moment was praised not only in the US but also outside the US. The US once again cited what’s called a vibrant democracy, where two political rivals come together and share mutual respect. There are many things to learn from that meeting, especially for those countries suffering from heavy political violence and power struggles. This was definitely one successful approach by President Trump for his “Make America Great Again” campaign. Another thing to learn from this is that, amid all differences, common men should stay united because history shows that in political battles, common men are the ultimate victims, whereas at the top layer, leaders always maintain good relations. So, why get involved in violence, fights with opposition party supporters, and ultimately end up in jail or being fined for taking the law into your own hands? So let’s stop being worshippers of politicians ! Let’s let them (politicians) work for the people, because that’s the job voters have given them. 

–Suzzy