Trump compares Dems to kamikaze pilots: 'They'll take down the country if they have to'

By Fox News · Fox News

President Donald Trump compared Democrats to Japanese kamikaze pilots who conducted suicide missions during World War II, amid the ongoing government shutdown. Trump's remarks come on the heels of his Asia trip, where he visited Japan, and as the government shutdown has lasted for 36 days – marking the longest one in U.S. history. "I think they're kamikaze pilots," Trump told Republican senators at a breakfast at the White House on Wednesday. "I just got back from Japan and talked about the kamikaze pilots. I think these guys are kamikaze. They'll take down the country if they have to." Additionally, Trump said he didn’t think Democrats were taking enough of the blame for their role in the shutdown. DEMOCRATS AT A BIG DISADVANTAGE IN SHUTDOWN AS TRUMP STARTS SLASHING THEIR PROGRAMS "It is Democrat-created, but I don’t think they’re getting really the blame that they should," Trump said, adding that the government must open soon . The government ran out of funding that prompted the partial shutdown on Oct. 1, due to gridlock between Senate Republicans and Democrats over a short-term funding bill to fund the government through Nov. 21. The stalemate between Republicans and Democrats stems from healthcare provisions in a potential funding measure. Trump and Republicans claim Democrats want to provide illegal immigrants healthcare, and have cited a provision that would repeal part of Trump’s tax and domestic policy bill known as the "big, beautiful bill" that reduced Medicaid eligibility for non-U.S. citizens. TRUMP FLIPS HIS SHUTDOWN APPROACH, LEAVING CONGRESS TO TAKE THE HEAT But Democrats say this isn’t the case, and have said they want to permanently extend certain Affordable Care Act subsidies that are set to expire at the end of 2025. Trump also stated that the shutdown was the reason that Republicans lost several key races – including the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial elections – on Tuesday. SENATE REPUBLICANS PLOT LONGER-TERM FUNDING BILL AS GOVERNMENT…