U.S. coronavirus aid talks hit setback as Trump blasts Democrats

Earlier in the day, Pelosi told MSNBC that she wanted the bill to pass before Nov. 3, although her Republican counterpart, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, has not been an enthusiastic supporter. "I'm optimistic, because even with what Mitch McConnell says, ‘We don't want to do it before the election.’ But let's keep working so that we can do it after the election," she told MSNBC.

Talks between Democrats and the White House faced a setback on Wednesday when President Donald Trump accused them of being unwilling to craft a compromise on coronavirus aid, despite reports of some progress earlier in the day. Trump, who has recently called for more stimulus as he trails in national opinion polls ahead of next month's elections, blasted House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi in a tweet after she pushed for a roughly $2 trillion proposal with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

It is unclear whether the negotiations will nonetheless continue or are now dormant until after the Nov. 3 presidential and congressional elections. Trump's tweet also comes amid deep opposition among Senate Republicans to a large new coronavirus stimulus bill that would aid Americans and businesses impacted by the pandemic.

Trump on Twitter said he did not believe Democrats "will be willing to do what is right for our great American workers, or our wonderful USA itself, on Stimulus." Trump's accusation came shortly after Pelosi's deputy chief of staff, Drew Hammill, said in a tweet that Pelosi and Mnuchin had spoken for 48 minutes and their conversation "brings us closer to being able to put pen to paper to write legislation."

At the same time Republicans in Congress have questioned whether Pelosi actually wanted to reach a deal before the elections or preferred to wait until after Nov. 3 when Democrats might have the upper hand if they win the presidency and more seats in Congress next year. Earlier in the day, Pelosi told MSNBC that she wanted the bill to pass before Nov. 3, although her Republican counterpart, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, has not been an enthusiastic supporter.

"I'm optimistic, because even with what Mitch McConnell says, 'We don't want to do it before the election.' But let's keep working so that we can do it after the election," she told MSNBC. "We want to before, but again, I want people to know, help is on the way," she said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)