Trump doubles down on taking blame for shutdown after Pelosi privately questions his manhood

Associated Press/Evan Vucci

House Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Vice President Mike Pence, President Donald Trump, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., argue during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2018, in Washington.

• House Speaker-designate Nancy Pelosi took a shot at President Donald Trump's "manhood" in a private meeting with fellow Democrats.
• "It's like a manhood thing with him - as if manhood can be associated with him. This wall thing," Pelosi reportedly said. 
• Her comments came after a heated exchange in the Oval Office between Trump and Democratic leaders over funding for his proposed wall along the US-Mexico border. 
• Trump threatened to shut down the government if Democrats don't give into his demands. 
• The president doubled down on his assertions at a bill signing later in the day. 

House Speaker-designate Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday took a shot at President Donald Trump's "manhood" in a private meeting with fellow Democrats after a televised shouting match with the president in the Oval Office earlier in the day. 

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Vice President Mike Pence were also present for the heated exchange, which primarily focused on Trump's desire to secure funding for a wall along the US-Mexico border. During the debate, the president threatened to shut down the government multiple times if Democrats didn't give into his demands. 

Pelosi said she was "trying to be the mom" during the Oval Office meeting, according to multiple sources who were in the room, Politico reported.

"It goes to show you: you get into a tinkle contest with a skunk, you get tinkle all over you," she added.

The presumptive House speaker then reportedly said, "It's like a manhood thing with him - as if manhood can be associated with him. This wall thing."

Trump routinely promised to build a massive wall along the US-Mexico border and have Mexico pay for it during his presidential campaign, but he's so far been unable to deliver on that pledge. 

Lawmakers are currently hoping to deter a partial government shutdown on December 21, when funding for several agencies is set to expire. 

Read more: Trump gets into raucous, on-camera Oval Office debate with Schumer and Pelosi and says he'd be 'proud' to shut down the government

During the Oval Office debate, Trump said he would be "proud" to take responsibility for a government shutdown if it meant securing the border. He doubled down on the matter of a potential shut down at a bill signing later in the day, saying, "I don't mind owning that issue."

"We need protection. We need border security," Trump said. "We need protection from drugs that are coming into our country."

The president also claimed his meeting with the Democratic leaders had been "very friendly." 

Democrats have offered to give $1.3 billion to Trump toward border security, but he wants $5 billion to go toward the construction of the wall. Estimates have put the total cost of the wall Trump has proposed somewhere between $20 billion to $70 billion.

Meanwhile, experts have long contended Trump's wall would not be an effective means of addressing the myriad issues the US faces related to immigration and border security. A report from the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office released over the summer said the wall could have a detrimental impact on the budget, face delays, and wouldn't work as planned.