In a heated Oval Office exchange with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Trump said, “I am proud to shut down the government for border security, Chuck, because the people of this country don’t want criminals, and people that have lots of problems and drugs pouring into our country.”

He added, “So I will take the mantle. I will be the one to shut it down. I’m not going to blame you for it – the last time you shut it down, it didn’t work. I will take the mantle of shutting it down. And I’m going to shut it down for border security.”

Trump, Pelosi and Schumer spar in the Oval Office front of cameras over a deal for funding the government pic.twitter.com/5YdBSSn7UF

But Sanders on Tuesday said the administration has “other ways that we can get to that $US5 billion,” marking a dramatic reversal in tone from the White House on the matter.

“There are certainly a number of different funding sources that we’ve identified that we can use, that we can couple with money that would be given through congressional appropriations that would help us get to that $US5 billion that the president needs in order to protect our border,” Sanders said.

Democrats pledged to give Trump $US1.3 billion toward border fencing, but have refused to give into the president’s call for $US5 billion. Several government agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, will see their funding run out on Friday if the president and Congress don’t act.