Trump claims Democrats beg for new coronavirus stimulus talks; Schumer shrugs off ‘fables’

Another round of coronavirus stimulus finger-pointing kicked off the week as President Donald Trump on Monday claimed Democrats are now begging him to restart talks on a 10-figure deal after he signed a raft of executive orders.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., hit back by denying any contact with the White House and slamming Trump for peddling “fables.”

“Fables from Donald Trump ... that’s what he seems to specialize in,” Schumer said on MSNBC when asked about Trump’s claims. “I didn’t call him, (House Speaker Nancy Pelosi) didn’t call him.”

Trump minutes earlier had tweeted bile at Schumer and Pelosi, D-calif., accusing them of refusing to negotiate for weeks after the House passed Democrats’ $3 trillion stimulus.

He repeated the line that Democrats want “BAILOUT MONEY” for hard-hit states and cities.

“Amazing how it all works, isn’t it,” he wrote.

Trump enacted four actions on

Saturday, including moves to extend a dramatically stingier federal emergency unemployment benefit and a payroll tax deferral, along with student loan relief and a partial ban on evictions.

He didn’t make any move to send a new round of $1,200 checks to taxpayers, perhaps the most popular measure of the first stimulus.

Critics derided some of the actions as unconstitutional and said they would wind up tied up in court.

Democrats also mocked Trump as weak and said the actions would have no real impact on the struggling economy or the raging coronavirus pandemic.

The House of Representatives passed its HEROES Act in May. Democrats claim that Republicans sat on their hands for months and openly floated the idea that there might not be any need for a new stimulus package.

Neither Trump nor Senate Majority Leader Mitch Mcconnell have joined the talks with Pelosi and Schumer, leading to criticism among Democrats that they are not serious about hammering out a deal.

Democrats offered to split the difference between the two proposals and negotiate on a package in the range of $2 trillion, but the White House wouldn’t budge.

Trump might be the one who stands the most to lose if no deal is reached. He is banking on a new flood of stimulus cash, including more checks to Americans, to boost his reelection bid.