Trump labels Vought ‘grim reaper’ ahead of threatened shutdown layoffs

President Trump late Thursday labeled Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought the “grim reaper,” as the Trump administration prepares to move forward with threatened layoffs amid the government shutdown. 

The president posted a video to Truth Social depicting Russell as the grim reaper who “wields the pen, the funds and the brain.” 

The reaper could be seen in the 67-second-long video, generated by artificial intelligence (AI), walking through a dark hallway that has portraits of former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). 

The post came after Trump met with Vought to determine which of the “many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut, and whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent.”

The administration has embraced the government shutdown and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that the looming federal layoffs will likely be in the thousands. 

“It’s likely going to be in the thousands. It’s a very good question, and that’s something that the Office of Management and Budget and the entire team at the White House here again, is unfortunately having to work on today,” Leavitt told reporters on Thursday. 

“We’re going to look at agencies that don’t align with the administration’s values that we feel are a waste of the taxpayer dollars,” the White House press secretary added.

The administration’s plans to axe thousands of federal employees and freeze federal grants during the federal shutdown has gotten push back from some Republicans on Capitol Hill, who argued it could blow up in the GOP’s face as the party looks to blame Democrats for the lapse in government funding.

The Senate is set to take up another vote on the dueling stopgap funding proposals later Friday — though lawmakers have indicated they believe the shutdown will last at least a week.