Trump stuns Pelosi and Schumer in contentious debate over the border wall

President Donald Trump stunned House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) in a stunning debate that unfurled before the media on Tuesday from the White House.

The contentious interaction began when the president argued with Pelosi over whether there are enough votes in the House of Representatives for the border wall.

"It doesn't help for me to take a vote in the House where I will win easily with the Republicans," said the president.

"You will not win," interrupted Pelosi.

"It doesn't help to take that vote because I'm not gonna get the vote of the Senate," Trump continued, "I need ten senators, that's the problem."

"The fact is, you do not have the votes in the House," interjected Pelosi later in the disagreement.

"Nancy, I do," he interrupted. "And we need border security!"

Schumer then claimed that Trump has threatened to shut down the government twenty times.

"The last time you shut it down, you got killed," said the president about past government shutdowns.

During the rhetorical fight, Vice President Mike Pence sat behind the interlocutors in stony silence.

In another skirmish, Pelosi reminded the president that his party lost the House of Representatives, to which Trump retorted that they had lost two seats in the Senate to the Republicans.

"When the president brags that he won North Dakota and Indiana," smirked Schumer, "he's in real trouble."

"I did," said Trump. "We did win North Dakota and Indiana."

"I will be the one to shut it down, I won't blame you for it."

But the moment that really stunned the Democratic leaders was when they argued over who would be to blame for a government shutdown, and the president said he would take the responsibility.

"You wanna know something?" said the president. "OK, you wanna put that on my, I'll take it!"

"You know what I'll say?" he continued. "Yes, if we don't get what we want, one way or the other, whether it's through you, through military, through anything you wanna call, I will shut down the government."

"I am proud to shut down the government for border security, Chuck," he said pointedly. "Because the people of this country don't want criminals and people that have lots of problems, and drugs that are pouring into this country."

"So, I will take the mantle," he concluded. "I will be the one to shut it down, I won't blame you for it."

Here's video of the entire exchange between Trump and the Democratic leaders: