President Donald Trump walked out of a meeting with Congressional leaders on Wednesday after Democrats refused to fund a border wall in exchange for reopening the government immediately.
Democrats have declined to negotiate with the president over border security until he signs a temporary spending bill reopening the government from a partial shutdown. The president met with Republican and Democrat leaders at the White House on Wednesday afternoon in an attempt to reach some kind of deal.
However, the president claimed on Twitter that when he offered to reopen the government in exchange for Democrats funding a border wall or barrier within 30 days, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said “no.” (RELATED: Read Trump’s Full Address To The Nation On Immigration)
“Just left a meeting with Chuck and Nancy, a total waste of time,” the president said in a tweet posted after his meeting. “I asked what is going to happen in 30 days if I quickly open things up, are you going to approve Border Security which includes a Wall or Steel Barrier? Nancy said, NO. I said bye-bye, nothing else works!”
Just left a meeting with Chuck and Nancy, a total waste of time. I asked what is going to happen in 30 days if I quickly open things up, are you going to approve Border Security which includes a Wall or Steel Barrier? Nancy said, NO. I said bye-bye, nothing else works!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2019
Speaker Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Schumer said in a press conference afterward that the president walked out of the meeting.
“He asked Speaker Pelosi, ‘Will you agree to my wall?’ She said no, and he just got up and said, ‘Then we have nothing to discuss,’ and just walked out,” Schumer said, calling the president’s behavior a “temper tantrum.”
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The president is demanding $5.7 billion for a physical barrier on the southern border and millions more in humanitarian aid, while Democrats have offered just over $1 billion for “border security,” which does not include a barrier.