Trump’s Capitol Clash: Senate Talks Collapse Over Nominees

Washington, D.C. — Tensions escalated Saturday as President Donald Trump told Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer to ‘go to hell,’ just hours before the Senate entered recess without confirming his nominations.

Senate Republican leader John Thune was in negotiations with Schumer and the White House, seeking a deal to allow senators to return to their home states, sources told CNN. Schumer demanded the release of federal funds and asked Trump not to propose another budget plan to cut existing funding.

However, Trump dismissed Schumer’s requests as ‘egregious and unprecedented’ in a social media post, indicating that talks had failed. The President had pressured the Senate to confirm his nominees, even suggesting skipping the August recess, but ultimately refused to meet any conditions set by Democrats.

In his post, Trump urged Schumer to ignore the Democratic demands, saying, ‘Tell Schumer, who is under tremendous political pressure from within his own party… to GO TO HELL! Do not accept the offer.’

On the Senate floor that night, Thune sought unanimous consent to vote on a few nominations before breaking for the month. Nevertheless, Senate Democrats had been delaying confirmations of Trump’s lower-level nominees, which had forced Thune to keep the Senate in session over the weekend.

During the negotiations, Schumer proposed that the federal funding for various programs, including the National Institutes of Health, be unfrozen and that Trump’s plans to make further budget cuts be scrapped.

In a news conference later, Schumer stated that Democrats aimed for a reasonable resolution to confirm Trump’s nominees but accused the President of abandoning negotiations. ‘In a fit of rage, Trump threw in the towel… Is this the “Art of the Deal?”‘ he questioned.

Schumer asserted that both sides were close to agreement on many issues before Trump’s unexpected refusal to cooperate. CNN has reached out for further comments from the White House and Sen. Thune.