As the United States edges closer to a government shutdown, one glaring hypocrisy stands out: Donald Trump’s vehement opposition to the Continuing Resolution (CR), a crucial piece of legislation that Congress has spent weeks negotiating, is being voiced from the comfortable confines of his Mar-a-Lago estate. Meanwhile, the nation’s government teeters on the brink of dysfunction, and Trump—whose influence is a key factor in the opposition to the CR—remains nowhere near the action in Washington, D.C.
Trump has long criticized the idea of remote work for federal employees, a position that solidified after the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, he has repeatedly argued that federal workers should be required to return to their offices, insisting that telework undermines productivity and accountability. Yet, in a moment of national crisis, Trump is happy to play a leading role in stalling crucial legislation—without ever leaving his estate in Florida to engage in the process directly.
This raises a key question: If Trump believes so firmly in the necessity of physical presence in government work, why is he content to remain in Mar-a-Lago and issue critiques from afar? It’s not just the hypocrisy of his stance on remote work; it’s the glaring absence of leadership. Trump’s actions echo a troubling disregard for the actual work being done in Washington by lawmakers who have worked tirelessly to craft a solution that could avert a government shutdown. By opposing the CR from the comfort of his private club, Trump is undermining the very process he claims to want to influence.
The hypocrisy becomes even clearer when you consider the contrast between Trump’s criticism of remote work and his own privileged position. Trump, like fellow billionaire Elon Musk, has built a world around him where the normal challenges of work-life balance are largely nonexistent. Both men have the luxury of delegating the daily grind to a staff that manages the logistics of their personal and professional lives. They do not worry about commuting, childcare, or the myriad of other responsibilities that the average person faces. In a sense, they have insulated themselves from the practical realities that many people contend with in their workday.
For Trump and Musk, their opposition to remote work seems to stem not from a genuine concern about productivity but from a fundamental disconnect from the realities of most Americans’ lives. They view work through a narrow, profit-driven lens, focused on maximizing output rather than understanding the need for flexibility in the modern workforce. In Trump’s case, his criticisms of remote work for federal employees are laced with an implicit assumption that being physically present in an office is the only measure of seriousness and accountability. Yet here he is, rejecting a solution to avoid a shutdown without ever being physically present in the place where the solution is being debated.
If Trump truly wants to influence the legislative process, he needs to do more than issue remote criticism. He needs to leave Mar-a-Lago and show up in Washington, where the real work is being done. The CR is the result of weeks of hard work by members of Congress, and if Trump is serious about solving the problem he is so quick to criticize, he needs to take an active role in that process—not by sending tweets or making remote demands, but by being physically present to negotiate and compromise with lawmakers.
Trump has always claimed to be a man of action, someone who can step into the fray and make things happen. But his decision to stay in Mar-a-Lago, distancing himself from the very process that could avert a shutdown, betrays that image. If he’s willing to oppose a solution to a national crisis without stepping foot in Washington, he’s not just being hypocritical—he’s failing to live up to the leadership he so often touts.
The message here is simple: If Trump wants to influence the future of the nation and avoid a government shutdown, he needs to show up in Washington, not just from behind a podium in Florida. Remote opposition to a piece of legislation that could have lasting consequences is not leadership—it’s distance, privilege, and a failure to engage with the real work of governance. If Trump truly cares about the outcome, he must be present in the place where decisions are being made, not just playing a spectator role from a luxury resort.
If Trump isn’t willing to do that, then perhaps he should allow the work done by Congress to proceed as intended. The future of the nation isn’t decided from the distance of Mar-a-Lago—it’s decided in the halls of Congress, where leaders are expected to show up, not just from afar, but in person.