President Donald Trump is spending Christmas Eve at the White House defending his agenda on Twitter.
“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 wrote on Twitter.
The president spent most of the morning on the social media platform urging Democrats to pass a funding bill for national security after the government shut down on Friday.
The House of Representatives passed a continuing resolution to keep the government open with $5 billion in funding for border security. But the Senate refused to vote the legislation forward, shutting down the government.
Trump remained at the White House while members of Congress went home for Christmas.
“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,” Trump wrote. “Crazy!”
He reminded the United States that Democrats used to support border security but desperately want to keep him from a political victory.
“It was only when I made it an important part of my campaign, because people and drugs were pouring into our Country unchecked, that they turned against it,” he wrote. “Desperately needed!”
The president also defended his foreign policy decision to get American troops out of Syria.
Several hawkish senators continued to criticize Trump’s decision, sparking a response from the president.
“To those few Senators who think I don’t like or appreciate being allied with other countries, they are wrong, I DO,” he wrote. “What I don’t like, however, is when many of these same countries take advantage of their friendship with the United States, both in Military Protection and Trade.”
He said that Saudi Arabia had agreed to help Syria rebuild once American troops left.
“See? Isn’t it nice when immensely wealthy countries help rebuild their neighbors rather than a Great Country, the U.S., that is 5000 miles away[?]” he asked. “Thanks to Saudi A!”
He explained that he is tired of the United States subsidizing the military of wealthy countries, as allies continue to take advantage of the U.S. on trade.
“General Mattis did not see this as a problem,” he wrote. “I DO, and it is being fixed!”
Trump also griped about the Federal Reserve for sending the stock market in negative territory.
“The only problem our economy has is the Fed. They don’t have a feel for the Market, they don’t understand necessary Trade Wars or Strong Dollars or even Democrat Shutdowns over Borders,” he wrote. “The Fed is like a powerful golfer who can’t score because he has no touch – he can’t putt!”
The president usually spends his holiday golfing in Florida at Mar-a-Lago, but he remained in Washington, DC, after the shutdown.
First lady Melania Trump was in Florida but is returning to the White House to spend Christmas Day with the president: