US Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer told reporters on Wednesday that US President Donald Trump slammed the table and walked out of a meeting regarding funding for a border wall, saying if they won't consider his proposal, there's nothing to be discussed.
Speaking to reporters on Capitol Hill, Schumer, the senior senator from New York, said, "when leader Pelosi said we didn't agree with the wall, he walked out and said we have nothing to discuss." Schumer called the president's behaviour "unbecoming."
Trump took to Twitter, saying that the meeting was "a complete 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!" POTUS explained of his exchange with the House minority leader.
US Vice President Mike Pence expanded on the meeting even further, telling journalists that Democrats were unwilling to engage in negotiations. According to Pence, Trump walked out of the meeting moments after Pelosi rejected POTUS' proposal to reopen the government if Democrats considered approving border security. The Indiana native also remarked that Trump did not slam a table during the failed meeting.
After Pelosi rejected the offer, Trump reportedly said, "I guess you're still not ready to solve the problem," Kevin McCarthy, the Republican House Minority Leader, told reporters. McCarthy said the Democrats had misrepresented what happened in the meeting, and called their description "embarrassing."
The partial government shutdown, currently in its 19th day, began on December 22, 2018, after Trump and Democratic politicians hit an impasse over Trump's request for $5.6 billion in funding for the border fence to curb illegal immigration and prevent narcotics from entering the US.