In February 2018, Comstock “generated national headlines when she rebuked the president during a meeting...at the White House on the dangers of the deadly gang MS-13.” Trump said that “if congressional Democrats would not support a legislative crackdown on dangerous illegal immigrants, he would advocate shutting down the federal government.“ Comstock replied, “We don't need a government shutdown...I think both sides have learned that a government shutdown was bad, it wasn't good for them.” While Comstock described the exchange as "a polite conversation,” "The Washington Post" said that “veryone else called it an extraordinary public scolding of a sitting U.S. president.”