Home alone: Trump tweets he's by himself at White House waiting for shutdown deal

President Trump tweeted that he was "all alone" in the White House. Photo / AP

US President Donald Trump was meeting with his Homeland Security secretary and other officials to discuss border security issues as a partial government shutdown over his US-Mexico border wall entered Christmas without a clear resolution in sight.

Though both sides have traded offers over the dollars, they remain far apart on the wall.

The White House insists Trump will reject any deal that does not include money for a wall or fence; Democrats were holding firm in their opposition to a wall or other physical barrier.

Trump chimed in from the White House, where he has been cooped up since the shutdown began at the weekend.

"I am all alone (poor me) in the White House waiting for the Democrats to come back and make a deal on desperately needed Border Security," Trump tweeted.

"At some point the Democrats not wanting to make a deal will cost our Country more money than the Border Wall we are all talking about. Crazy!"

I am all alone (poor me) in the White House waiting for the Democrats to come back and make a deal on desperately needed Border Security. At some point the Democrats not wanting to make a deal will cost our Country more money than the Border Wall we are all talking about. Crazy!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 24, 2018

Trump put off plans to head to his Florida estate for Christmas and remained in Washington. His wife, first lady Melania Trump, was returning from Florida to spend the holiday with him at the White House.

In a joint statement, the Democratic leaders, Senator Chuck Schumer and Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, said as long as Trump keeps listening to the Freedom Caucus and others on the right flank, there is no easy resolution to the impasse.

Here's how much the government shutdown costs pic.twitter.com/UlHj5tpc0i

— Bloomberg QuickTake (@QuickTake) December 24, 2018

"It's Christmas ... and President Trump is plunging the country into chaos," the leaders said.

They pointed to problems beyond the shutdown, including the plunging stock market and the President's firing of the defence secretary. "The President wanted the shutdown, but he seems not to know how to get himself out of it."

In latest @CNN poll share that OPPOSE a border wall if Mexico is not paying: 18-34 72%; non-whites 72%; college + whites 68%; indies 62%. These are the groups that powered D historic mid-term gains: why would party cross them as its 1st key act since Nov-or feel pressure to cave? https://t.co/flcDC7SnDh

— Ronald Brownstein (@RonBrownstein) December 24, 2018

White House budget director Mick Mulvaney said a counteroffer was presented over the weekend to Schumer. Mulvaney would only say the offer was between Trump's US$5.7 billion request and US$1.3 billion Democrats have offered.

A Democratic aide confirmed the White House offered US$2.5 billion, an initial US$2.1 billion plus US$400 million Democrats called a "slush fund" for the President's other immigration priorities.

The President scheduled a border security meeting at the White House with Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and other department officials, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said.

Senate negotiators are continuing talks behind the scenes with Democrats and Republicans.

The closure affects hundreds of thousands of federal workers across the country and was expected to last at least until Friday, when the House and Senate meet again.

- AP