Dems are putting the squeeze on Trump.....they want to prevail at any cost

very well planned effort to taint him and obstruct him at every turn

Senate and House leaders said Tuesday they will cancel the Martin Luther King Day recess unless there is a sudden resolution to the 25-day partial government shutdown, which appears unlikely given a breakdown in high-level talks.

Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer (N.Y.), one of the principal negotiators, told reporters Tuesday that he hasn’t spoken to President Trump in nearly a week, underlining the standstill in negotiations.

“The last I spoke with him was when he walked out, threw a temper tantrum and walked out, so we haven’t heard from him since then,” Schumer told reporters after meeting with the Democratic caucus.

A group of centrist House Democrats on Tuesday rejected a White House invitation to attend talks with Republicans and Trump, seeing it as an effort to divide the party.

A Democratic congressional aide said the meeting appeared to be pulled together “haphazardly at the last minute,” with invitations to members received from the White House beginning in the late afternoon on Monday and continuing until late at night.

“The congressman is declining the invitation,” said Andrew Scibetta, a spokesman for Rep. Lou Correa (D-Calif.). “Congressman Correa welcomes the opportunity to talk with the president about border security, as soon as the government is reopened.”

The White House and Republicans who did attend the meeting criticized the Democrats for skipping it.

“The sheer fact that no Democrats [were] here to even talk with us shows the lack of willingness to compromise,” said Rep. Rodney Davis (Ill.), one of the Republicans who went to the White House.

Democrats feel confident they have leverage on Trump, who has seen his poll numbers steadily erode as the shutdown drags on.

“Every day he’s losing. The Gallup Poll today had him at a near record low of 37 percent popularity. Even some of his base is losing faith,” Schumer said on the Senate floor Tuesday morning. “President Trump, you’re not going to win this fight with the American people. Every day it drags on, you are less popular.”

A Quinnipiac University poll published Monday showed that 56 percent of respondents blame Trump and Republicans in Congress for the shutdown while only 36 percent blame Democrats.

Convinced that Trump is taking the brunt of the political fallout, Democrats feel little incentive to cede any ground in the standoff over the president’s demand for $5.7 billion for a border wall.

So far, most Republican lawmakers are sticking with Trump, persuading themselves the shutdown isn’t becoming a political disaster for their party. But others acknowledge the standoff is taking a toll on Trump’s political standing and want to see an end to the impasse.

“Nobody is winning. Mr. President, hear me, nobody is winning. We’re not winning, you’re not winning, Democrats aren’t winning,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska).

Asked if the shutdown is hurting Trump’s approval rating, Murkowski said “absolutely.”

Senate Majority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) said Trump has largely failed to persuade independent voters that building a border wall is worth a monthlong partial government shutdown.