Fourteen years ago, Donald Trump commented on government shutdowns in an interview with Today, stating:
“If there is a shutdown, I think it would be a tremendously negative mark on the President of the United States. He’s the one that has to get people together”
But since his election, there have been three government shutdowns spanning 72 days (and counting). How does that compare to his predecessors?
I looked at all government shutdowns since 1980 — the year when Federal agencies actually started ceasing work during government shutdowns. The results of my finding are shown in the charts below. Note that all figures are as of November 4th, 2025.
Trump has presided over the longest period of government shutdowns
Of the 7 presidents since the modern government shutdown began, Trump has presided over by far the longest period of government shutdowns. His 72 days (and counting) are more than double that of the next highest president.
Over 1 in every 25 days of Trump’s presidency has been spent in shutdown
I find this chart truly remarkable. The Federal Government has been shut down for over 4% of the days that Trump has been president.
Trump has presided over the two longest shutdowns
Conclusion
There have been multiple articles about this topic across the media during the current government shutdown. However, I think this is an interesting quick systemic comparison of Trump to his peers. Additionally, as far as I can tell, no one has actually done the math of what percent of Trump’s presidency has been spent in shutdown.
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