Trump says government shutdown may be a 'blessing in disguise' as he meets for talks with Democrats

'They say it’s a medieval solution, a wall. It worked then and it works even better now'

Donald Trump has said the government shutdown that has impacted up to 800,000 federal employees, may be a “blessing in disguise”.

As the shutdown entered its 19th day and the president prepared to meet with both Democrats and Republicans amid mounting pressure to do a deal, Mr Trump suggested he would use executive authority to secure funds for a border wall if negotiations were not successful.

“I really believe the Democrats and the Republicans are working together. I think something will happen, I hope,” he said during a bill signing event in the Oval Office, before heading for Capitol Hill to meet Republican politicians worried about the impact of the shutdown. “Otherwise we’ll go about it in a different manner.”

The president claimed he was open to broader immigration deal and said the shutdown could be a “blessing in disguise”, but would force the nation to focus on the issue. “We would like to see real immigration reform in this country.”

At the same time, he appeared adamant that any deal with Democrats would have to include funding for a border wall. He was due to meet with both Democrats and Republicans at the White House later in the day.

“We can all play games, but a wall is a necessity,” the president said. “They say it’s a medieval solution, a wall. It’s true because it worked then and it works even better now.”

During his speech on Tuesday, Mr Trump said: “I am speaking to you because there is a growing humanitarian and security crisis at our southern border,” he said.

“Every day customs and border patrol agents encounter thousands of illegal immigrants trying to enter our country. We are out of space to hold them and we have no way to promptly return them back home to their country.”

His comments were dismissed by Democrats as designed to stoke “fear and malice”.

Mr Trump’s comments followed a televised speech to the nation he delivered on Tuesday evening in which he sought to defend his demand for a wall on the southern US border.

He has refused to compromise with Democrats on a spending bill that would reopen the government if it does not contain $5.6bn for a wall or steel fence. Democrats have offered $1.3bn for border security, but argue that a wall in ineffective and that the president is simply using the issue to energise his supporters.

During his speech on Tuesday, Mr Trump said: “I am speaking to you because there is a growing humanitarian and security crisis at our southern border

“Every day customs and border patrol agents encounter thousands of illegal immigrants trying to enter our country. We are out of space to hold them and we have no way to promptly return them back home to their country.”

His comments were dismissed by Democrats as designed to stoke “fear and malice”.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose party now controls the House of Representatives and has been working to pass budget measures to reopen those shuttered parts of the government, said the president’s speech was “full of misinformation”. “The fact is – the women and children at the border are not a security threat, they are a humanitarian challenge.”