President Donald Trump has cancelled his New Year's plans and will stay in Washington, D.C., as the government shutdown continues, incoming acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney said in an interview with "Fox & Friends" on Friday.
"He cancelled his plans for Christmas, now he's cancelled his plans for New Year's," Mulvaney said. "The president is very heavily engaged in this."
The partial government shutdown began on Dec. 22 after Congress was unable to negotiate a spending bill with the president, who has demanded $5 billion for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. With no signs from the Capitol or the White House about a potential deal, the shutdown is expected to extend into next year.
Trump had planned to spend Christmas and New Year's Eve at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, as he has done in previous years. This year, he was the first president since Bill Clinton to spend Christmas at the White House. Former President George W. Bush went to Camp David every year, while former President Obama returned to his home state of Hawaii.
On Christmas Eve, the president lamented the fact that he was stuck in the White House and blamed Democrats for the shutdown. "I am all alone (poor me) in the White House waiting for the Democrats to come back and make a deal," he tweeted.
Despite the negative impacts of an extended government shutdown, Trump seemed to double down on his demands for a border wall on Friday. "We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall," he tweeted.
According to Senate estimates, more than 420,000 government employees will be working without pay during the shutdown, while over 380,000 workers will be furloughed.
WATCH: This is what happens when the U.S. government shuts down
