Trump Abruptly Ends Meeting With Pelosi, Schumer

Calls it a 'total waste of time'
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 9, 2019 3:40 PM CST
Trump Walks Out of 'Waste of Time' Meeting With Pelosi, Schumer
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., left, walk to meet with furloughed federal workers on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2019.   (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

President Trump reportedly walked out of a meeting with Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer Wednesday after Pelosi said she would not agree to fund his desired border wall, top Democrats tell the AP. Schumer says Trump asked the question, and when Pelosi said no, the POTUS responded, "Then we have nothing to discuss." Then, "he just walked out," Schumer says. Trump also addressed the situation on Twitter, the Hill reports. His take: "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!"

Speaking after the roughly 30-minute White House meeting, Mike Pence added, "I think the president made his position very clear today that there will be no deal without a wall" and that Democrats are "unwilling to even negotiate." Schumer says Trump "sort of slammed the table" and had a "temper tantrum," but Pence says, "I don't recall him ever raising his voice" and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy says the president did not slam the table—and handed out candy at the start of the meeting. The government shutdown is on day 19. (Trump earlier hastened to Capitol Hill.)

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