In a fiery social media post, President Donald Trump recently told Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer to “go to hell.” This comment came just hours before the Senate entered recess, failing to confirm any of Trump’s nominees.
According to sources close to the discussions reported by CNN, Senate Republican leader John Thune had been in rigorous negotiations with Schumer and the White House. The aim was to resolve a standoff so that senators could head back to their home states.
Schumer’s demands included the release of federal funds and assurances from Trump against proposing further legislation that would reduce the funding. However, Trump labeled those requirements as “egregious and unprecedented,” suggesting that the negotiations had broken down completely.
Trump had intended for the Senate to swiftly confirm his nominees, even willing to skip the August recess if necessary, but his comments indicated he wouldn’t budge on Democrats’ terms.
Trump wrote, “Tell Schumer, who is under tremendous political pressure from within his own party, the Radical Left Lunatics, to GO TO HELL! Do not accept the offer, go home, and explain to your constituents what bad people the Democrats are and what a great job the Republicans are doing for our Country. Have a great RECESS.”
On Saturday night, Thune called for unanimous consent to vote on a number of nominations before taking a month-long break.
Democrats had been deliberately delaying the confirmation of Trump’s lower-level nominees, which forced Thune to keep the Senate in session over the weekend. In their role as the minority, Democrats can make it tricky for Thune by imposing additional procedural hurdles before any vote can take place.
Schumer positioned several conditions to facilitate the swift confirmation of a group of nominations, including unfreezing federal funds for many programs like the National Institutes of Health and foreign assistance.
The New York Democrat also expected Trump to commit to not pushing through another package aimed at cutting federal funds, known as “rescissions,” following a previous $9 billion package approved for some cuts.
During a Saturday night press conference, Schumer claimed that Democrats were “serious” about finding a balanced approach to process Trump’s nominations; however, he maintained that the president wouldn’t accept the terms presented.
“In a fit of rage, Trump threw in the towel, sent Republicans home, and failed to engage in even basic negotiations. Is this the ‘Art of the Deal’?” Schumer remarked while holding up a printout of Trump’s social media post.
Although Schumer did not delve into the finer details of the discussions with the White House and Thune, he noted that both sides were on the verge of agreement on several issues, only for Trump to abruptly end the talks.
CNN has reached out for additional commentary from the White House and Thune.
More updates will follow as this story develops.
Report contributed by Samantha Waldenberg from CNN.
