UPDATE: The White House responds, noting the invitation still stands.
Sarah Sanders responds to “Chuck and Nancy”
— Charlie Spiering (@charliespiering) November 28, 2017
“The President’s invitation to the Democrat leaders still stands and he encourages them to put aside their pettiness, stop the political grandstanding, show up and get to work."
***Original Post***
President Trump tweeted a preview of his meeting with Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi Tuesday morning, casting doubt on any progress they might make on tax reform because of their liberal agenda.
Meeting with “Chuck and Nancy” today about keeping government open and working. Problem is they want illegal immigrants flooding into our Country unchecked, are weak on Crime and want to substantially RAISE Taxes. I don’t see a deal!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 28, 2017
That message appears to have upended the scheduled talks. In a joint statement, Schumer and Pelosi said never mind.
"Chuck & Nancy" bail on bipartisan talks w/ Trump at WH today after his AM tweet: "Given that the President doesn’t see a deal between Democrats and the White House, we believe the best path forward is to continue negotiating with our Republican counterparts in Congress instead." pic.twitter.com/RVr55yWHlA
— David Wright (@DavidWright_CNN) November 28, 2017
The power of a tweet.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan were also expected to attend the talks.
Congress is trying to pass a spending bill before the Dec. 8 deadline of a government shutdown. That deadline, however, is likely to be extended.
In a Senate floor speech following the scrapped talks with President Trump, Minority Leader Schumer announced that instead of a "show meeting" with Trump, he and Pelosi have reached out to McConnell and Speaker Ryan to meet in the afternoon to discuss spending.
"We don't have any time to waste," Schumer said.
This post has been updated.