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Trump Meeting With Pelosi & Schumer Descends Into Chaos

Trump Meeting With Pelosi & Schumer Descends Into Chaos
folder_openUnited States access_time5 years ago
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Local Editor

An Oval Office meeting between US President Donald Trump and senior Democrats rapidly escalated into anger and disagreement after he threatened to shut the government if he did not receive funding for a border wall.

Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer repeatedly clashed with Trump over his insistence that border security could only be guaranteed by building such a wall. He has asked for $5bn to construct it.

“I will be the one to shut [the government] down,” said Trump, as vice president Mike Pence sat in silence and watched the encounter. “I’m proud to shut down the government for border security.”

Such scenes in the Oval Office have rarely been seen by the US public. When Pelosi appeared to protest about the in-front-of-the-cameras nature of the spat, Trump said: “It’s called transparency.”

But with Trump having invited the media to witness the meeting, it is likely all the participants understood in advance what might transpire.

Trump, desperate to secure funding for a wall, is trying to make a breakthrough before Democrats take control of the House of Representatives in the New Year. He also knows few issues are more popular with his base than a hardline approach to immigration.

At the same time, while it now seems likely Pelosi will become the next speaker of the House, the 78-year-old has faced questions about her leadership, even though an actual challenger has not yet emerged. Pelosi is very aware that the new congress will include a number of young, progressive members who want her to take a tough line with the president.

The heated comments, and the equally stark body language, came after the president demanded $5bn in congressional funding for a wall along the US-Mexico border. He has said he will refuse to agree a spending deal with Democrats unless he gets the money.

Trump tweeted earlier: “If the Democrats do not give us the votes to secure our country, the military will build the remaining sections of the wall. They know how important it is.”

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team

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