Democrats can finally enter negotiations over a potential government shutdown with power over Donald Trump. With just days to go until the deadline, it’s not Republicans who have the advantage for once. Democrats can decide whether the government will be funded or not funded. A government shutdown, which last occurred in December 2018 and lasted 35 days, would entail the closure of government functions deemed non-essential. “It’s a perfect opportunity for the Democrats to put a stake in the ground,” says Trump biographer, Michael Wolff. The opportunity couldn’t come at a more critical time. Eight months into Trump’s second term, Wolff believes that “Every assumption about how this country functions is under attack.” “What has to happen most of all is that the Democrats have to show a level of commitment, a level of crisis. They have to recognize what’s going on. They have to express what’s going on, and they have to recognize what’s going on. I mean, if there is not a way found to oppose Donald Trump, the entire thing is over.”