Dave Ramsey didn’t hide his thoughts on President Donald Trump’s approach to leadership during an October episode of “The Ramsey Show,” referring to him as “Captain Bluff” and criticizing his negotiation style during the government shutdown.
“He’ll look at a rock and bluff it,” Ramsey said, adding:
“He’s not a real good negotiator. He’s really good at running over things and calling it negotiating.”
Shutdown Over, But Ramsey’s Remarks Still Echo
The federal government shutdown has officially ended. While it disrupted hundreds of thousands of federal employees, Ramsey and co-host Ken Coleman encouraged their listeners not to panic during the ordeal.
“Control what you can control,” Coleman said.
“Always control the controllables. When you’re facing drama or trauma, facts are your friends,” Ramsey added. “The facts are there’s only been a handful of these ever since 1981.”
Coleman pointed out that shutdowns typically don’t last long. “The longest one was in 2019 for just over a month,” he said.
He added that both parties often use shutdowns as a tactic.
“It’s basically a poker game over who gets what in the continuing resolution bill.”
Coleman expressed frustration that the drama affects many who serve the country. “It affects our good men and women in the military, a lot of great federal employees.”
However, he challenged listeners to look at their own lives realistically during a shutdown. “If you’re not in that camp … it’s hard to find evidence that it’s been shut down.”
Ramsey Endorsed Trump Despite Misgivings
Despite his critique of Trump during the shutdown, Ramsey has publicly endorsed him for re-election.
During his show last year, Ramsey said he evaluates each candidate based on a list of key issues, not personality or a single stance.
“I’m voting for Donald Trump because I checked those boxes, and more of those are on that side than on the other side,” he said. He listed tax policy, immigration, gun policy, and economic issues as areas where he believed Trump aligned more closely with his views.
He made clear he isn’t a political loyalist: “You’re not voting for a savior. You’re not even voting for a pastor,” he said.
“Every single vote I’ve ever cast, I disagreed with the person I voted for on at least something.”
Not Afraid of Backlash
Ramsey anticipated pushback for backing Trump but said he’s not concerned.
“Some of you are never going to listen to me again after this. That’s okay. I can deal with that. That’s happened to me for 30 years,” he said.
He dismissed those who threatened to cancel him. “That’s hard to do. I own the show. You’re not going to get to cancel me. So you can leave, but you can’t cancel me.”
Endorse First, Criticize Loudly Later
Ramsey’s comments reveal a striking contradiction: he’s endorsing a leader he now sharply criticizes as ineffective and impulsive.
In earlier interviews, Ramsey praised Trump as “very knowledgeable” about tax rates and how energy policy connects to the economy.
He aligned with Trump’s support for corporate tax cuts and domestic energy production as a way to fight inflation and reduce everyday costs.
Ramsey also echoed Trump’s claims about building a “Big Beautiful Bill” to fix the economy, though he later admitted that there’s “no big beautiful thing in here.”
While he acknowledged some positives, like higher standard deductions and relief for overtime, he ultimately said the bill wouldn’t change most Americans’ financial lives and urged people to “quit waiting on the White House to fix your house.”
Critics warn the legislation disproportionately benefits the wealthy: analysts estimate Trump’s 2025 “Big Beautiful Bill” would cost between $2.5 to $3.3 trillion over the next decade and permanently extend tax breaks for the wealthiest households.
Meanwhile, manufacturing jobs continue to decline: U.S. manufacturing employment dropped by 33,000 jobs in 2025, with 87,000 lost in 2024, despite repeated promises of a renaissance of factory work.
And the labor market overall is showing signs of deeper trouble. According to Forbes, employers cut 153,074 jobs in October alone, a 183% increase from the month before, with total layoffs in 2025 surpassing 1 million, up 65% from the first 10 months of 2024.
Government jobs saw the biggest losses, followed by tech, retail, and services.
For someone who claims to advocate for the everyday American, Ramsey’s endorsement seems to overlook how those same policies often favor the rich first. With more millionaires in the U.S. than ever before, it’s clear who’s benefiting.
IMAGE CREDIT: ”Dave Ramsey” by Gage Skidmore, via Flickr. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. Image adjusted for layout.