Donald Trump speaks to reporters in Washington DC [Source: TheGuardian]
President Donald Trump has walked out of a meeting with Democratic leaders as negotiations broke down on the 19th day of a US government shutdown.
The Republican president ended talks after Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer stuck by their refusal to fund his planned US-Mexico border wall.
Trump called his meeting with the pair “a total waste of time”.
Some 800,000 federal workers will go without pay this week for the first time since the shutdown began.
The president tweeted afterwards that he had said “bye-bye” to the top Democrats.
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
Outside the White House the blame game was in full flow from both sides after yesterday’s meeting.
Pelosi, who is speaker of the House of Representatives, says the legion of unpaid federal employees were “collateral damage” to Trump.
Schumer told reporters the president had abruptly left when Pelosi said she would not approve any wall funding.
