President Trump spoke six words to New York Sen. Chuck Schumer (D) on Tuesday night, marking the first verbalization between the pair in over two months, Politico reports. "Chuck? I see Chuck. Hello, Chuck," Trump called out at a White House reception for the Senate.
While Trump once raved about his "good relationship" with Schumer — and on a private phone call, said he liked his home-state senator better than Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) or House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) — the president has now turned to slamming Schumer for being the "head clown."
"By the time we got to inauguration, any hope that Schumer wanted to actually work together to find any common ground was clearly gone," an administration official explained to Politico. Schumer's speech at the inauguration and his ongoing defiance over confirming Trump's Cabinet and Supreme Court nominee are also cited as reasons for the split.
"[Trump] moved. He, not me," said Schumer. "He moved so far over to the right that it's virtually impossible to work with him." The pair last spoke on Jan. 24, according to Schumer.
President Trump has suggested working with Democrats on health care going forward, but Politico writes "lawmakers and strategists wonder whether Trump missed his best shot at a productive relationship."
And when it comes to speaking with Trump, Schumer only has nine words: "Right now there's not much to talk about, okay?"