In the immediate aftermath of an agreement to conclude the longest government shutdown in the nation’s history, a wave of sharp criticism emerged from an influential and unexpected front: late-night television. Prominent hosts Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, and Seth Meyers dedicated significant portions of their programs to lambasting a group of Democratic senators who broke from their party’s strategy to join Republicans in a deal to reopen the government. Their collective commentary painted a picture of a political party snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

Leading the charge was Jon Stewart on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, who opened his monologue with a tone of utter disbelief. “Tonight’s show will be brought to you by ‘I can’t fucking believe it,’” he declared, setting the stage for a blistering critique of the Democratic strategy. Stewart argued that the party held a position of unprecedented strength, citing recent electoral successes across the country as evidence of a favorable political climate. “You had the wind at your back! Election victories all over the country,” he exclaimed.

Stewart’s central thesis was that Democrats had abandoned their goals without securing any tangible concessions. “Democrats, you sold out the entire shutdown not to get what you want, but for a promise to not get what you want later,” he asserted. The host framed the move as a catastrophic failure of political nerve, memorably labeling it a “world-class collapse by Democrats.” To illustrate his point, he used a sports analogy, suggesting it was “like being up 10 points with three minutes left to go in a game and still finding a way to miraculously lose it for the fourth time in just one month.” In his view, the country was finally seeing through the political maneuvering of the administration, a moment of clarity he believed Democrats failed to capitalize on. “This is what the Democrats have squandered: A country finally shaking off Trump’s Jedi mind tricks and saying, ‘No, these are the fucking droids we’re looking for.’ And instead of pressing that advantage, the Democrats just went, ‘Droids? I guess we aren’t looking for those droids. But you’ll help us find them later, right?’” he concluded, accusing the party of squandering leverage and demoralizing its base.

On CBS’s The Late Show, Stephen Colbert echoed Stewart’s frustration, though with his own brand of satirical exasperation. He summarized the shutdown’s conclusion with a grim assessment: “The shutdown may have been long and painful for millions of Americans, but at least it achieved jack squat.” Colbert then directed his focus toward specific lawmakers who facilitated the deal, singling out Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire. He claimed she “crumbled like a granola bar in your backpack,” a vivid metaphor for what he saw as a weak-willed capitulation. He quoted her justification, in which she noted her constituents were asking, “Why can’t you all just work together to address the problems that are facing this country?” Colbert’s retort was swift and cutting: “‘Cause the country is being run by insane people.”

Seth Meyers, host of NBC’s Late Night, approached the topic with a more data-driven, yet equally critical, perspective. He laid out a series of facts that he believed should have solidified the Democrats’ resolve. “Polls have consistently shown that voters blame Donald Trump and the Republican Party for the government shutdown,” Meyers stated. He also pointed to internal strife within the GOP, noting, “Republicans are fighting with each other over Speaker Mike Johnson’s refusal to produce a health care plan.” Furthermore, he emphasized that public sentiment was strongly behind the Democratic position on key issues. “Americans overwhelmingly support the Democrats’ push to keep health care costs down,” he said. Meyers also highlighted President Trump’s waning popularity, evidenced by his “historically bad” poll numbers and being booed at a public event, along with major Democratic election victories. “So naturally,” Meyers concluded with heavy sarcasm, “Senate Democrats looked at all of that and said: ‘Now is the time to cave.’”

However, the narrative presented by the eight breakaway senators—a group that included one Independent—was one of pragmatism over political brinkmanship. According to their public statements, the decision to end the shutdown was driven by the growing, real-world consequences of the stalemate. They argued that their primary goals were not being achieved due to the unwavering and firm resistance from their Republican counterparts, who showed no signs of making significant concessions. In their view, continuing the shutdown was becoming a futile exercise that inflicted unnecessary hardship on federal employees and the public. With the Thanksgiving holiday fast approaching, concerns mounted over significant travel disruptions and the financial strain on government workers who were not receiving paychecks. From their perspective, ending the damaging standoff was a responsible act of governance, even if it meant sacrificing a political battle they felt they could no longer win.