Trump attends Norfolk 250th Navy anniversary amid shutdown

President Donald Trump attended a ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk on Sunday to salute the Navy’s 250th anniversary, saying he would not let a government shutdown that began Wednesday disrupt the celebration. Trump posted Friday on his social media account, "THE SHOW MUST GO ON!" and told the crowd before departing the White House, "This will be a show of Naval aptitude and strength." Thousands of sailors and family members were on hand as the president toured the carrier USS George H.W. Bush, handed out challenge coins and delivered remarks from a pier between an aircraft carrier and an amphibious assault ship.

The visit unfolded as the partial shutdown left many military personnel working without pay, several thousand federal employees furloughed and a number of infrastructure and energy projects temporarily halted. Administration officials and congressional leaders remain at odds over funding priorities, and the event raised concerns among some observers that a national celebration could become entangled in the budget fight. The president accused Democrats on his social feed of enabling the shutdown and of attempting to undermine the Navy celebration.