Trump oddly dubs White House official 'Darth Vader' in front of GOP Senators

US President Donald Trump hosted a luncheon for Republican Senators at the White House Rose Garden on Tuesday.

Trump invited all 53 Republican senators to the lavish gathering, but during his Rose Garden speech, Trump oddly likened a White House official in attendance to Darth Vader, the notorious Star Wars antagonist.

"We have Darth Vader. You know Darth Vader, right? Darth Vader is a man who is sitting -- is that Darth? Stand up please Darth. Does everybody know -- they call him Darth Vader, I call him a fine man. But he's cutting Democrat priorities and they're never gonna get them back."

Trump was referring to Russell Vought, the White House Director of the Office of Management and Budget, reports The Mirror US.

Vought is amongst the masterminds behind Project 2025, a 900 page conservative policy blueprint featuring proposals for sweeping cuts to federal government size, enhanced presidential powers, stringent immigration controls, a nationwide abortion prohibition and additional elements of an ultra-conservative social programme, the BBC reports.

The government shutdown persists

Talks focussed on the continuing government shutdown and Republican solidarity to resolve the halt in federal spending.

Now in its fourth week, the government shutdown, which commenced on October 1, has impacted nearly a million federal employees, including military personnel.

Almost 750,000 federal workers have been furloughed and instructed not to attend work. Other workers, including military staff, are deemed essential and are required to work unpaid until a budget agreement is reached.

Once the shutdown concludes, troops are anticipated to receive back pay to compensate for the lost earnings.

Since the shutdown commenced,Democrats and Republicans have been engaged in a blame game over who is responsible. The two parties are at a deadlock as they struggle to reach a consensus on legislation concerning government expenditure and healthcare.

Worries have now surfaced regarding funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Administered by the USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), SNAP provides aid to approximately 41 million Americans who meet the eligibility criteria.

If the shutdown persists, benefits will cease at the start of November for states nationwide. Health services departments in various states, including Texas, Illinois, and Minnesota, have posted warnings on their websites informing SNAP recipients that they will not receive their benefits from November 1.

Throughout the shutdown, both parties have exchanged heated words with each other.

On the sixth day of the shutdown, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt labelled the situation a "Democrat federal government shutdown."

She warned that the Democrats' refusal to back the "clean" Republican-supported funding bill would lead to ongoing repercussions, including a lack of funds for food aid programmes, non-payment of troops, and federal workers continuing to go without pay.

In contrast, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer launched a tirade against Republicans over the ongoing government shutdown on 7 October. He shared a video on X, expressing his strong sentiments.

Schumer used strong language to express the Democrats' stance.

"Democrats have three words for this, no f---- way," he declared.

"It's literally life or death, we will not let Republicans blow up our healthcare system," he asserted.