Trump storms out of government shutdown meeting after Democrats claim he 'slammed the table' over border wall

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Trump storms out of government shutdown meeting after Democrats claim he 'slammed the table' over border wall

donald trump

Associated Press/Carolyn Kaster

As seen from a window outside the Oval Office, President Donald Trump gives a prime-time address about border security Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2018, at the White House in Washington.

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  • President Donald Trump on Wednesday vowed to continue the partial government shutdown after a contentious meeting with Democratic leaders.
  • Minority Leader Chuck Schumer claimed Trump "sort of slammed the table" and walked out of the room when House Speaker Pelosi said no to funding for a wall or steel barrier.
  • The shutdown, which is a product of the debate over the border wall, has lasted over two weeks and is poised to be the longest in US history.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday vowed to continue the partial government shutdown after a contentious meeting with Democratic leaders regarding funding for the wall he wants to build along the US-Mexico border.

The president tweeted, "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!"

Minority Leader Chuck Schumer claimed Trump "sort of slammed the table" and walked out of the room when House Speaker Pelosi said no to funding for a wall or steel barrier.

Read more: Trump gave his border security speech with a photo of his impoverished, immigrant Scottish mother behind him

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Republican Rep. Steve Scalise rejected the notion Trump slammed his hands on the table while speaking to reporters after the meeting. Vice President Mike Pence also denied this claim and said the president came into the room and "passed out candy."

The White House has described the situation at the border as a crisis, but has not declared a national emergency. Pence told reporters Trump is still looking at potentially declaring a national emergency.

This comes after Trump delivered a speech on border security on Tuesday night, in which he sought to garner support for the border wall. Trump made a number of inaccurate and misleading statements regarding immigration during his Oval Office Address.

Read more: Fox News anchor Shep Smith doesn't waste any time fact-checking Trump's border security speech

The president has pushed for a massive wall along the southern border since his 2016 campaign. But he lacks popular support over the plan, as polls have shown most Americans oppose building the wall. Polling also shows a majority of the US public oppose the shutdown and blame Trump for the current impasse.

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The shutdown has lasted over two weeks and is poised to be the longest in US history.

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