Every president needs a signature phrase that defines their presidency, and President Trump may have just found his.

On Thursday, 19 days into the government shutdown, a reporter asked Trump if "the buck stops with you over this shutdown." "The buck stops with everybody," Trump responded, potentially launching a copyright suit from former President Harry Truman's estate.


Trump may have popularized expressions such as "build the wall" and "make America great again," but this new phrase truly stands out. It reflects Trump's continued insistence that Democrats are unwilling to bend on his border wall demands and reopen the government, despite Trump saying he'd own the shutdown last month.

Perhaps the most important quality of Trump's newfound aphorism is that it defies explanation, seeing as a singular buck cannot stop with multiple people. Perhaps Trump should stick with "We're America, B--ch." Kathryn Krawczyk