Trump’s tantrum deepens impasse
US President Donald Trump has walked out of his negotiating meeting with congressional leaders – “I said byebye,” he tweeted – as efforts to end the 19-day partial government shutdown fell into deeper disarray over his demand for billions of dollars to build a wall on the US-Mexico border.
In a negotiating session that was over almost as soon as it began, Democrats went to the White House asking Mr Trump to reopen the government.
Mr Trump renewed his call for money for his signature campaign promise and was rebuffed.
Republicans and Democrats had differing accounts of the brief exchange, but the result was clear: The partial shutdown continued with no end in sight.
Hundreds of thousands of federal workers will miss pay cheques on Friday; a little more than half of them are still working without pay. Other key federal services are suspended, including some food inspections.
And as some politicians expressed discomfort with the growing toll of the standoff, it was clear on Wednesday that the wall was at the centre.
Mr Trump revived his threat to attempt to override Congress by declaring a national emergency to unleash Defence Department funding for the wall. He’s due to visit the border on Thursday to highlight what he declared in an Oval Office speech Tuesday night as a “crisis.”
Democrats say Mr Trump is manufacturing the emergency to justify a political ploy.
Republicans said Mr Trump posed a direct question to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi: If he opened the government, would she fund the wall? She said no. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Mr Trump slammed his hand on the table, said “then we have
TRUMP SLAMMED HIS HAND ON THE TABLE, SAID “THEN WE HAVE NOTHING TO DISCUSS” AND WALKED OUT. MINORITY LEADER CHUCK SCHUMER
nothing to discuss” and walked out.
However Republicans said Mr Trump, who passed out candy at the start of the meeting, did not raise his voice and there was no table pounding. Ms Pelosi said Mr Trump “stomped” out of the room and was “petulant”. Republicans said he was merely firm.
Mr Trump had just returned from a Republican lunch on Capitol Hill, where he urged jittery congressional Republicans to hold firm with him. He suggested a deal for his border wall might be getting closer, but he also said the shutdown would last “whatever it takes.”