President Donald Trump has arrived in Norfolk, Virginia to celebrate the Navy’s 250th anniversary on Sunday despite the ongoing government shutdown.

In a message posted late Friday on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump wrote, “I believe, ‘THE SHOW MUST GO ON!’” 

He promised that it would be “the largest Celebration in the History of the Navy," saying thousands of active-duty service members and their families are expected to attend.

The visit comes as Washington remains at a standstill over the budget, which forced the federal government to shut down on Wednesday. 

The closure has resulted in many federal employees being furloughed, while active-duty military personnel continue to work without pay. After previous shutdowns, federal workers received back pay.

Several infrastructure and energy projects in Democratic-led cities such as New York and Chicago have also been paused.
 
In his post about Norfolk, Trump accused Democrats of using the shutdown to “destroy this wonderful celebration of the U.S. Navy’s Birthday.”

Senate Democrats, meanwhile, have blamed the lapse in funding on the Trump administration not yet extending the federal subsidies that help stabilize health insurance costs under the Affordable Care Act, which expire at the end of the year.

Democrats are also seeking to restore the cuts to Medicaid that Trump previously approved in the "One Big Beautiful Bill."

Senate Republicans have called on Democrats to vote for a clean temporary funding bill to allow more time for budget negotiations. Several attempts to do so failed on the Senate floor.