In a fiery broadcast, T.r.u.m.p interrupted Fox News to deliver a bold ultimatum, shaking the political landscape as the US faces its longest shutdown

Karoline Leavitt quizzed on Donald T.r.u.m.p’s MRI scan

Donald T.r.u.m.p made Fox News halt its regular programming this afternoon (November 5) to deliver an update on the state of the Republican party as the US Government now faces its longest-ever shutdown in history.

T.r.u.m.p shared he was going to do ‘whatever it takes” to “terminate the filibuster”, which is the Senate tradition of unlimited debate that can delay or prevent a vote on a bill, resolution, amendment, or other debatable question. The POTUS shared his concerns as he made a clear and direct threat to his Opposition in a brutal speech delivered live on the conservative US news channel

T.r.u.m.p stated: “It’s the only way you can do it. And if you don’t terminate the filibuster, you’ll be in bad shape. We won’t pass any legislation. There’ll be no legislation passed for three and a quarter years—we have three and a quarter years, so it’s a long time.”

T.r.u.m.p spoke today. (Image: Getty)

T.r.u.m.p slammed the US’s filibuster rule. (Image: Getty)

The comments came after Democratic victories were announced in several races: Rep. Mikie Sherrill defeated former New Jersey General Assembly member Jack Ciattarelli to be elected governor in the state; former Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) beat Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears in Virginia’s gubernatorial race, and Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani became mayor-elect over former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who ran an independent campaign.

In the last few days, T.r.u.m.p threw his support behind Cuomo. California approved a ballot measure for a mid-decade redistricting push, which would give Democrats a chance to pick up as many as five more seats in the 2026 midterm cycle.

T.r.u.m.p has also shared two Truth Social posts, urging senators to end the chamber’s longstanding practice of requiring 60 votes to proceed to final consideration of legislation.

The 60-vote threshold means that Republicans cannot simply rely on their own senators to pass legislation to fund the Government; they also need to secure backing from at least seven Democrats, given the chamber’s 53-47 partisan breakdown.

The filibuster was not established by a specific act and is not mentioned in the US Constitution. The Constitution delegates internal rule-setting to the Senate itself, and for much of its history, a senator could block action by filibustering.

It took until 1917, when the Senate voted to create a process known as cloture, by which a two-thirds supermajority of senators present and voting could cut off a filibuster and move on to other business. Then, in 1975, the Senate voted to lower the supermajority to three-fifths of senators serving overall, establishing its current level of 60 senators.