President Donald Trump said Friday he was prepared to keep the US government closed for a year or more, as he stood firm on his contentious demand for billions of dollars to fund a border wall with Mexico.
Trump confirmed he said as much in a meeting earlier Friday with top Democrats that failed to produce a deal on ending the two-week shutdown.
"Absolutely I said that," Trump said, adding. "I don't think it will. But I am prepared."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters their nearly two-hour meeting with Trump was "somewhat contentious." Trump called it "productive."
In the Rose Garden after the meeting Friday, Trump said he wouldn't end up reopening the closed government agencies until he gets border security. "We have to get a structure built," he said.
