Trump says he does NOT care ‘most of the workers not being paid’ during the shutdown are Democrats, as he demands his wall be built to stop drugs and MS-13 and tells Pelosi he is waiting in the White House to cut a deal
- Trump tweeted on Saturday ahead of planned meeting on shutdown
- Called on Democrats to make deal and said he is ‘waiting in the White House’
- Pence and other top officials are meeting with congressional Dems on Saturday
President Donald Trump has called on Congressional Democrats to make a deal on wall funding to end the partial government shutdown.
‘I don’t care that most of the workers not getting paid are Democrats, I want to stop the Shutdown as soon as we are in agreement on Strong Border Security!,’ Trump tweeted on Saturday morning.
‘I am in the White House ready to go, where are the Dems?’ he continued, about an hour before a planned meeting between top administration officials and Democrats.
Trump has designated Vice President Mike Pence, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and advisors Stephen Miller and Jared Kushner to work with a congressional delegation at a meeting set for 11am on Saturday.
President Donald Trump has called on Congressional Democrats to make a deal on wall funding to end the partial government shutdown
Senior White House Advisor Jared Kushner, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and Senior White House Advisor Stephen Miller walk to the West Wing before a meeting with Congressional staffers on Saturday
Trump continued with an argument that a wall is needed, writing: ‘We are working hard at the Border, but we need a WALL! In 2018, 1.7 million pounds of narcotics seized, 17,000 adults arrested with criminal records, and 6000 gang members, including MS-13, apprehended. A big Human Trafficking problem.’
‘The Democrats want Billions of Dollars for Foreign Aid, but they don’t want to spend a small fraction of that number on properly securing our Border. Figure that one out!’ he continued.
Earlier on Saturday, Trump said that Democrats could ‘solve the Shutdown problem in a very short period of time’, a day after threatening to declare a national emergency in order to build the wall without Congressional approval.
‘Great support coming from all sides for Border Security (including Wall) on our very dangerous Southern Border. Teams negotiating this weekend!’ Trump wrote in a tweet on Saturday morning. ‘Washington Post and NBC reporting of events, including Fake sources, has been very inaccurate (to put it mildly)!’
He continued: ‘The Democrats could solve the Shutdown problem in a very short period of time. All they have to do is approve REAL Border Security (including a Wall), something which everyone, other than drug dealers, human traffickers and criminals, want very badly! This would be so easy to do!’
Trump is framing the upcoming weekend talks as progress, while Democrats are emphasizing families of government workers unable to pay bills.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that Friday’s meeting with Trump was ‘contentious’
The standoff has prompted economic jitters and anxiety among some in Trump’s own party. But he appeared Friday in the Rose Garden to frame the weekend talks as progress, while making clear he would not reopen the government.
‘We won’t be opening until it’s solved,’ Trump said. ‘I don’t call it a shutdown. I call it doing what you have to do for the benefit and the safety of our country.’
Trump also vowed on Friday that he will shut down the government for ‘months or even years’ if he does not get money for his border wall with Mexico.
Trump’s threat was first disclosed by Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, during a news conference outside the White House following a meeting between Congressional Democrats and the President.
He accused the president of holding federal workers ‘hostage’ for the wall and urged him to continue the conversation with the government open.