President Donald Trump grew impatient and finally snapped on Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer during a televised Oval Office meeting Tuesday.
Trump told them they can either secure America’s safety, or be responsible for a shut down of the federal government — but he was done with their political games. It was time to pick one, or the other.
The ONLY Water You Should Drink If You’re 65+ [sponsored]
Bickering face-to-face with Democratic leaders, Trump threatened repeatedly on Tuesday to shut down the government if Democrats in Congress refuse to provide the money needed to build a wall at the Mexican border.
Trump’s comments came as he opened a contentious meeting with Schumer and Pelosi heading towards a partial shutdown on Dec. 21 when funding for some agencies will expire.
The president and Pelosi tangled over whether the House or the Senate was holding up his proposal. Trump and Schumer jabbed at each other over the import of the midterm elections — and who will be blamed if a shutdown occurs.
“If we don’t get what we want, one way or the other, whether it’s through you, through military, through anything you want to call, I will shut down the government,” Trump ultimately declared.
Breaking News: First steps in the final warning to the US have begun… [sponsored]
“I will take the mantle,” Trump said. “I will be the one to shut it down.”
The televised discussion was Trump’s first encounter with Democrats since the midterm election.
Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan acknowledged Tuesday that the GOP-led House has yet to pass legislation that includes the $5 billion in border wall funds that Trump has been requesting.
Ryan likely lacks sufficient votes from establishment Republicans, some of whom will lose their jobs at the end of the month.
Billionaire’s Horrifying Prediction: ‘30 Million Will Die’ [sponsored]
Trump is seeking far more for his long-stalled border wall than the $1.6 billion the Senate has agreed to for border security, including physical barriers and technology along the U.S. southern border.
The Oval Office meeting between Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and the Democrats began civilly, with Trump noting progress for bipartisan criminal justice legislation in the Senate. But the session quickly unraveled as he mentioned his promised wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Said Trump with a smile: “And then we have the easy one, the wall. That will be the easiest of all, what do you think Chuck?”
Schumer shot back sternly: “It’s called funding the government.”
Sponsored: Mystery molecule eliminates arthritis pain almost instantly
When Pelosi said he did not have that support in the House, Trump interjected: “Nancy, I do.”
Pelosi later said: “This has spiraled downwards.”
After Pelosi and Schumer noted Democratic success in the midterm elections, the president asked whether Republicans had won the Senate in the November election.
Pelosi and Schumer have urged Trump to support a measure that includes huge government funding bills largely agreed upon by establishment politicians, along with a separate measure that funds the Department of Homeland Security at current levels through Sept. 30.
Sponsored: ould this book actually be a “Second Bible”?
The homeland bill includes about $1.3 billion for fencing and other security measures at the border.
If Trump rejects that, Democrats are urging a continuing resolution that would fund all the remaining appropriations bills at current levels through Sept. 30.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said circumstances were “beginning to resemble a movie we’ve seen before,” noting that Democrats forced a brief shutdown in January in a dispute over immigration policies.
“It didn’t work out very well,” McConnell said. “The reality is that the president’s request is entirely reasonable.”
Schumer and other Democrats supported a 2006 law that authorized hundreds of miles of fencing along the southern border, McConnell said, urging Democrats to again back physical barriers — by whatever name — along the border.
Blood Pressure Solution Hiding in Your Kitchen? [sponsored]
You can see the icy exchange here —
The Associated Press contributed to this article