Usually, when a child doesn’t get what they want, they throw a tantrum. Their parent reprimands them, and hopefully they learn. But, the issue arises when our president acts in the same manner: like a child who doesn’t get their way. He refuses to hear criticism and remains fixated on his idea for 2,000 feet of exclusivity, according to USA Today.

Anyone who even remotely followed the 2016 election and President Donald Trump’s campaign knew he wanted to build a wall. Now, he is trying to follow through.

The government has been struggling to stay open and this was the tipping point. When Trump realized Mexico won’t pay for the wall, he requested to add it to the Congress spending bill set to expire on Dec. 21. Democrats denied this request and since the government could not agree on how to appropriate funds, it shut down at midnight.

The shutdown resulted in the full or partial closure of nine ‘non-essential’ federal departments, including the Department of Justice and the Homeland Security Department, according to CNBC.

Since Trump’s main platform for the shutdown is border security, one would think he’d be concerned about keeping the Department of Homeland Security open. But, he won’t listen to reason. Trump still asked 420,000 federal employees to work without pay, and furloughed, or sent home sans pay, another 380,000, according to CNBC.

Democrats offered a solution that increased border security without funding for a wall, according to AP News. The Republicans denied, saying they wanted bipartisan bicameral legislation signed by Trump. Stubborn as always, Trump refused to compromise.

On Jan. 16, Trump signed a bill guaranteeing back pay for furloughed federal workers, but only after the shutdown ends. In the meantime, many workers are relying on tips or GoFundMe campaigns to pay rent or purchase groceries, according to CNN.

But, many furloughed workers live paycheck to paycheck, and the shutdown hurts them and their families. With 800,000 employees already missing their first paychecks, the shutdown is damaging American lives for Trump’s selfish and petty wish, according to USA Today.

While both Democrats and Republicans alike acknowledge Trump’s ineffectiveness as a leader, he refuses to budge. A poll by The Washington Post and ABC found that 53 percent of adults blamed Trump and congressional Republicans, while only 29 percent thought Democrats were at fault.

As we write this, today marks the 29th day of what is now the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. Now, congressional Democrats and the White House remain at a standstill: Trump refuses to reopen the government without $5.7 billion for a wall along the southern border, and the Democrats refuse to fund it.

Trump needs to realize it’s not his xenophobia that’s being violated. It’s the lives and safety of millions who suffer at the hands of an ineffective leader.