The ‘Grim Reaper’ of the Government Shutdown

During the continuing government shutdown, President Trump has posted memes depicting Russel T. Vought, the White House budget director, as the grim reaper.

Coral Davenport, a Washington correspondent for The Times, explains how Mr. Vought, a once obscure official, has become one of the most influential figures in Washington.

Guest: Coral Davenport (https://www.nytimes.com/by/coral-davenport) , a Washington correspondent for The New York Times, focusing on the Trump administration’s dismantling of federal rules.

Background reading: 

• Mr. Vought has exerted his influence (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/29/us/politics/russell-vought-trump-budget.html) over nearly every corner of President Trump’s Washington with his command of the levers of the federal budget.
• Both parties are resigned to deadlock (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/05/us/politics/parties-deadlock-shutdown.html) as the government shutdown takes hold.

Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily (http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily) . Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts (http://nytimes.com/podcasts) or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.