President Trump took to Truth Social on Tuesday. Within hours, outlets reported that the federal government would not release Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits until Democrats agreed to reopen the government — contradicting earlier White House assurances that 50 percent of November benefits would be funded through contingency reserves as ordered by a federal judge.
That wasn’t a reporting error. Here’s what Trump posted:
“SNAP BENEFITS, which increased by Billions and Billions of Dollars (MANY FOLD!) during Crooked Joe Biden’s disastrous term in office (Due to the fact that they were haphazardly ‘handed’ to anyone for the asking, as opposed to just those in need, which is the purpose of SNAP!), will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government, which they can easily do, and not before! Thank you for your attention to this matter. — President DJT”
Seems straightforward enough. Anyone reading that would reach the same conclusion the media did.
Enter White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Asked about the post at her briefing, she moved quickly to clarify the president’s comments. The administration, she said, was “fully complying” with the court order and would provide partial food-stamp payments in November.
“We’re complying with the court’s order, and we’re getting that partial payment out the door as much as we can, and as quickly as we can, but it’s going to take some time,” Leavitt said.
She went on to explain that the president’s post referred only to the remaining half of benefits that couldn’t be issued until the government reopened. Pressed repeatedly, she didn’t waver; holding the line in a textbook public-relations maneuver known as the walk-back: retreating from, or reframing, a previously stated position.
So should she be believed? Was that really Trump’s intent? In the end, it doesn’t much matter — and here’s why.
Whether a firm directive or a calculated shot across Democrats’ bow, the effect is identical. The message to Democrats is unmistakable: Trump is willing to use SNAP funding — even partially — as leverage to force talks. Court order or not.
For most of this shutdown, the president has been absent in the discussion. Fresh off a well-received meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, he now appears ready to assume a more hands-on role, setting up a direct clash with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
His first tactic for a quick resolution, convincing Senate Republicans to bypass the filibuster, remains a tall order. Even allies such as Senator Shelley Moore Capito warn that doing so would hand Democrats carte blanche to kill the rule whenever it suits them — a risk that worries those who, unlike Trump, aren’t term-limited.
Trump sees it differently. In his view, Democrats will scrap the filibuster sooner or later, with or without GOP participation. Leavitt nodded to that logic in her Tuesday spin.
Still, the Senate isn’t biting. That leaves Trump at the table without leverage — the currency of any negotiation. So he’s manufacturing some, or at least the perception of it. Social media makes it easier than ever: float the threat of withholding benefits, watch the outrage quickly swell, then walk it back hours later. Translation: Come to the table or face the consequences, for real.
The gamble? Children. Few politicians are willing to risk being seen as the reason poor families can’t eat. Maybe Trump won’t follow through, but he’s signaling that he just might, and from Trump, the threat is enough.
That brings us to Schumer. Will he call the bluff, or meet Trump halfway on a new deal? Timing favors movement: the proposed continuing resolution expires soon – what good is two weeks at this point – leaving room for a fresh round of talks for a new way forward. Be it another CR or a bill-by-bill approach, the next something has to come. And if Schumer holds pat, nothing prevents Trump from dealing directly with the handful of democrats he needs to close the deal. Who’s to say he won’t go that route first?
Senate Majority Leader Thune and House Speaker Johnson are likely to defer to the president’s lead, gladly.
As one Washington insider told me late Tuesday: “Today was all about leverage… getting Democrats back to the table.” That person was talking about Trump’s table.
Whether the president succeeds and claims the political spoils, or fails… time will tell.