The longest shutdown and a truly massive McDonald’s order

In the tenth instalment of our series recapping an unprecedented presidency, Joe Sommerlad looks at the president digging in his heels in a fight with Congress over border wall funding

A delighted Donald Trump poses with his White House junk food buffet (White House)

Donald Trump had already overseen one government shutdown at the start of 2018 when agreement on a fresh spending bill was briefly stalled over a dispute with Congress on immigration.

It lasted only three days but nevertheless saw 692,000 federal employees furloughed, a mere appetiser compared with what would follow.

The president bookended the year with a matching battle over the approval of funds to complete his controversial southern border wall, which was fast becoming a white elephant to surpass even the Millennium Dome.