Chuck Schumer caught saying Donald Trump 'likes us' in private conversation

Mr Schumer and Democratic colleague Nancy Pelosi had dinner at the White House to discuss undocumented immigrants

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi had dinner with Donald Trump at the White House to discuss undocumented immigrants on 13 September 2017. (Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images)

Senator Chuck Schumer has had his thoughts on Donald Trump broadcast from the Senate chamber, with audio of him saying that Mr Trump "likes us... He likes me, anyway.”

He and Representative Nancy Pelosi, the ranking Democrats in Congress, had dinner at the White House on 13 September and the comment was caught on a “hot mic” as he was describing the nature of the conversation.

The person he is speaking has not been identified as yet.

The meeting resulted in an agreement to work on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programme, which was set up during the Obama administration to protect people from deportation who were brought into the country illegally or overstayed visas as minors and allow them to obtain work permits.

The programme affects an estimated 800,000 Americans, the majority of which are employed and/or enrolled in higher education institutions.

Democrats have said the deal being worked out would not include Mr Trump’s proposed 2,000-mile (3,218 km) border wall with Mexico, a project which he repeatedly claimed Mexico would fund.

But, Mr Trump tweeted the morning after the dinner that there was no deal, but said on a visit in Florida that there would likely be one within six months.

Mr Trump has said that a deal will be struck within six months but seemed to associate the programme with “extreme border security and surveillance” on the US-Mexico border.

While many of the so-called Dreamers are from Mexico and Central America, the programme includes people from several countries across the world who either entered illegally or overstayed visas.

“We're not looking at citizenship. We're not looking at amnesty. We're looking at allowing people to stay here. We're working with everybody,” said Mr Trump in Florida.

“We have to have an understanding that whether it’s in the budget or some other vehicle in a fairly short period of time, the wall will be funded. Otherwise, we're not doing anything,” Mr Trump said in Naples, Florida.

Mr Schumer noted he said: “'Mr. President, you're much better off if you can sometimes step right, sometimes step left. If you have to step in just one direction, you're boxed.’... He gets that.”

The New York Senator also said the President’s ability to compromise would make everyone “more productive”.