By Tim Hanlon

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Donald Trump made further threats that he may attempt to run for a third term while meeting with Democrats over a potential Government shutdown with a chilling leaked photo described as the “strangest thing ever”. The US president and Congress have failed to strike an agreement to keep services running before the Wednesday deadline which could have devastating consequences. Roughly 750,000 federal workers are expected to be furloughed and some potentially fired by the Trump administration . Many offices will be shut, perhaps permanently, as Trump vows to “do things that are irreversible, that are bad” as retribution for the shutdown. His deportation agenda is expected to run full speed ahead, while education, environmental and other services sputter. The economic fallout is expected to ripple nationwide. “We don’t want it to shut down,” Trump said at the White House before the midnight deadline. But the president, who met privately with congressional leadership this week, appeared unable to negotiate any deal between Democrats and Republicans to prevent that outcome. And at the same time, extremely worrying for opponents of Trump is the uncertainty that he may try and go against the US Constitution by running for a third time. He has been showing off Trump 2028 hats and strategically placed one on a desk in the Oval Office while speaking with Democrat leaders about ways to try and avoid the Government shutdown. Trump may not be far into his second term but in March, speaking to US media he claimed that “there are methods which you can do it” in reference to a third. MAGA supporters have been treated to new merchandise in the form of a baseball cap emblazoned with ‘TRUMP 2028’. It was in comments made on March 30 to NBC News that he said: “I’m not joking… a lot of people want me to do it,” about the standing again. “But, I basically tell them we have a long way to go, you know, it’s very early in the administration.” And in the midst of the tense stand-off with Democtats, he had the hats on the table while meeting opposition politicians over the Government shutdown. It was reported that the hats were brought as gifts but House leader Hakeem Jeffries denied this. He told CNN: “He did not try to hand us the Trump 2028 hat. They just randomly appeared in the middle of the meeting on the desk. It was the strangest thing ever.” And Jeffries says that he asked JD Vance about Trump running for office to which the vice-president replied “no comment”. This is the third time Trump has presided over a federal funding lapse, the first since his return to the White House this year, that underscores the extreme divide over budget priorities and a political climate The Democrats picked this fight, which was unusual for the party that prefers to keep government running, but their voters are eager to challenge the president’s second-term agenda. Democrats are demanding funding for health care subsidies that are expiring for millions of people under the Affordable Care Act, spiking the costs of insurance premiums nationwide. Republicans have refused to negotiate for now and have encouraged Trump to steer clear of any talks. After the White House meeting, the president posted a cartoonish fake video mocking the Democratic leadership that was widely viewed as unserious and racist. What neither side has devised is an easy offramp to prevent what could become a protracted closure. The ramifications are certain to spread beyond the political arena, upending the lives of Americans who rely on the government for benefit payments, work contracts and the various services being thrown into turmoil. “What the government spends money on is a demonstration of our country’s priorities,” said Rachel Snyderman, a former White House budget official who is the managing director of economic policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center, a think tank in Washington. Shutdowns, she said, “only inflict economic cost, fear and confusion across the country.”