President Donald Trump on Monday railed against the Democrats role in the government shutdown, before appearing to offer more moderate members of the party political cover by blaming the party’s stance on “their far left base.”
Trump said in a tweet that Democrats were “turning down services and security” because they care more about the security of non-citizens then they do the citizens of the U.S.
The president immediately followed that comment by focusing the blame on the party’s “far left” base. “They don’t want to do it but are powerless!” he said.
Democrats, meanwhile, have placed the blame for the shutdown on Trump. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has said trying to hammer out a deal with the president was “like negotiating with Jell-O.” The New York Democrat has claimed that Trump has walked away from a couple of frameworks for deals, including one that put funding for the president’s long-desired border wall on the table.
The shutdown entered its third day Monday after the Senate failed to reach a deal over the weekend. The chamber is scheduled to vote at noon on a new spending plan, which will fund the government through Feb. 8.
