Donald Trump mocked for hosting meeting with empty chairs after Democrat leaders refuse to attend

'His empty chair photo opp showed he is more interested in stunts than in addressing the needs of the American people,' says Democrat leader of the House

Donald Trump probably thought his decision to pose between two empty seats reserved for missing Democratic leaders was a stroke of genius - or in his own words “smart” - but it has backfired and the US president has been roundly mocked.

President Trump declared Democrats used to be “all talk, no action” but now they are “not even talk” while sat between two seats reserved for Senator Chuck Schumer and Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi.

The two Democrat leaders did not show up for a meeting at the White House after Mr Trump accused democratic congressional leaders of scheming to use their leverage to increase taxes and deluge the US with undocumented immigrants. Democrats hold significant clout because Republicans do not possess enough votes to pass a spending measure next week without gaining some Democratic support.

President Trump suggested it was unlikely the White House would manage to reach a deal with Mr Schumer and Ms Pelosi, the Democratic leaders of the Senate and House, to avoid a shutdown after 8 December, when government funding runs out.

But the senior Democrats responded by choosing to pull out of their planned meeting with President Trump, Republican Congressional Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan at the White House.

In a statement, the two Democratic leaders said they planned to negotiate directly with their Republican counterparts rather than Mr Trump in order to prevent a government shutdown next month.

But President Trump doubled down and posed for TV cameras at the White House flanked by empty chairs. He branded his negotiating partners weak on crime, immigration and the military.

The world leader said: “They’ve been all talk, and they’ve been no action, and now it’s even worse. Now it’s not even talk.”

President Trump’s empty chair stunt sparked a torrent of memes and jokes on Twitter and onlookers have penned pithy captions to correspond to the image of the billionaire property developer surrounded by empty chairs.

One critic went so far as to Photoshop two members of the Ku Klux Klan clad in their trademark white pointed hoods into the vacant chairs.

“‘They've been all talk and no action,’ Trump says of Chuck and Nancy, as he sits in a meeting room with empty chairs for them,” quipped one of NPR’s editors, Domenico Montanaro.

"If you are a sixth grader, this was really, really funny. If you're an adult, self-proclaimed 'master of the deal' and charged with leading a great nation, this was just today's embarrassment (slightly less than yesterday's.)," said another.

Ramping up his tough talk, Mr Trump used the meeting to suggest he “would absolutely blame the Democrats” if there is a government shutdown next week.

He added: “If it happens, it’s going to be over illegals pouring into the country, crime pouring into the country, no border wall, which everyone wants.”

Ms Pelosi hit back on Twitter and mocked Mr McConnell and Mr Ryan for going along with President Trump’s stunt.

“Donald Trump now knows that his verbal abuse will no longer be tolerated. His empty chair photo opp showed he is more interested in stunts than in addressing the needs of the American people. Poor Ryan and McConnell relegated to props. Sad!” she said.

Mr Ryan and Mr McConnell, who still attended the meeting despite the no show, denounced their Democratic counterparts’ decision to forego the negotiating meeting.

In their joint statement, Mr Schumer and Ms Pelosi said: “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.

“Rather than going to the White House for a show meeting that won’t result in an agreement, we’ve asked Leader McConnell and Speaker Ryan to meet this afternoon. We don’t have any time to waste in addressing the issues that confront us, so we’re going to continue to negotiate with Republican leaders who may be interested in reaching a bipartisan agreement.”

The dramatic spectacle signals a gloomy start to the tricky negotiations ahead which must be carried out before 8 December.