MAGA Senator Turns on ‘Intergalactic Freak Show’ Colleagues
The GOP lawmaker turned on his own party and predicted they’d achieve “nothing” during their Trump-ordered weekend lock-in.

Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Senator John Kennedy lashed out at his colleagues as he described their progress in getting the House back in order.
“What we have here is an intergalactic freak show,” the Louisiana rep. said of the GOP’s closed-door meetings taking place in D.C. over the weekend.
Kennedy will be stuck with his colleagues for a while yet. The meetings were ordered by President Trump, who insisted that his senators flock to Washington just as he jetted off for Florida.

President Donald Trump and his son Eric take a golf cart at the Trump National Doral Golf Club on April 3, 2025, in Doral, Florida.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
The purpose of the working weekend is to seal a deal to end the shutdown, but Kennedy didn’t hold high hopes for the talks.
ADVERTISEMENT
In addition to describing the get-together as a freak show when talking to Politico after a conference on Friday, Kennedy also revealed what he thought the weekend would achieve. “Nothing,” he said. “We’re going to be here for a long time.”
Sign Up for The Swamp Newsletter
By clicking “SUBSCRIBE” you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune didn’t seem much more enthusiastic, telling the outlet that it “remains to be seen” whether the Republicans will reach a deal.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) heads to the floor of the Senate on Nov. 7, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Lawmakers continue to negotiate as the U.S. government shutdown reaches its 38th day, the longest in history.
Samuel Corum/Getty Images
“We’re here, and we’ll see if something comes together we can vote on,” he said.
Some lawmakers are committed to spending their weekend negotiating. Democratic Senator Ben Ray Luján told Politico: “My adage is, put them in a barn and don’t let them out until they come up with a solution.”
While the mood seemed low for the senators stuck in D.C., it could get lower if they’re not able to find a solution. According to a Truth Social post from Trump, the working weekend could be extended if his party can’t show results.
“The United States Senate should not leave town until they have a Deal to end the Democrat Shutdown,” he wrote on Friday. “If they can’t reach a Deal, the Republicans should terminate the Filibuster, IMMEDIATELY, and take care of our Great American Workers!”
The government is now in the longest shutdown in U.S. history, having paused activity on Oct. 1 because Republicans and Democrats were unable to agree on a spending bill.
Should Kennedy’s prediction come true and the GOP fails to get things moving this weekend, Trump has made it clear that removing the Senate filibuster is his weapon of choice.
Trump has dubbed the scrapping of the filibuster the “nuclear option,” but Thune has admitted that even pushing that idea through might not work with the Republican Party.
“I know where math is on this issue in the Senate. It’s just not happening,” he said Wednesday.
Kennedy is one of the senators not yet willing to let the filibuster go, he told Fox News host Laura Ingraham on Tuesday, though he said he understood the president’s frustrations.
“I don’t blame the president for being frustrated,” the senator said. “He’s frustrated that we’re not getting up off our ice-cold, lazy butts and passing bills that would be part of his agenda, and frankly, I don’t blame him for feeling that way.”
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
- Account (completed)
- Payment (completed)
- Confirmation (completed)
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
- 1Account
- 2Payment
- 3Confirmation



ADVERTISEMENT
Sign in or create an account
Login dialog
Loading comments…
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT