President Donald J. Trump signaled a tense upcoming discussion with Democratic lawmakers, emphasizing that the talks will focus on keeping the country โ€œopen.โ€

โ€œIโ€™m meeting with, as you know, a couple of Democrats in a little while aboutโ€ฆ keeping our country open,โ€ Trump said, before sharply criticizing their proposals. โ€œTheyโ€™re going to have to do some things because their ideas are not very good ones, theyโ€™re very bad for our country, so weโ€™ll see how that works out.โ€

The president did not specify which Democrats he would meet with but made it clear that policy disagreements remain significant. Trumpโ€™s remarks suggest that negotiations may involve pressing issues such as government funding, economic measures, or border securityโ€”areas where partisan divides have historically been the sharpest.

While the details of the meeting are still unknown, the statement underscores Trumpโ€™s combative stance heading into the talks, setting the stage for another high-profile clash between the White House and Democratic leadership.