Trump in Christmas remarks says shutdown won't end until he gets money for wall

President TrumpDonald John TrumpTrump says he may call a national emergency to build border wall O’Rourke signals support for ‘concept’ of Green New Deal Supreme Court to take up gerrymandering cases MORE on Tuesday dug in on his demand for a border wall as the government shutdown stretched into its fourth day.

Speaking to reporters after calling troops on Christmas Day, Trump said lawmakers must approve wall funding or else the shutdown will continue. 

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“I can't tell you when the government is going to be open,” he said. “I can tell you, it's not going to be open until we have a wall, a fence, whatever they'd like to call it. I'll call it whatever they want.”

Trump argued that thousands of workers being furloughed due to the shutdown also want the wall.

“Many of those workers have said to me, communicated, stay out until you get the funding for the wall. These federal workers want the wall,” the president said.

The comments suggest the funding impasse is unlikely to be resolved quickly when Congress comes back into sessions after Christmas.

Senate Minority Leader Charles SchumerCharles (Chuck) Ellis SchumerScandal and Planned Parenthood are not strangers Pelosi: I respect presidency and government agencies more than Trump does Three top priorities for 2019 to 'Keep America Great' MORE (D-N.Y.) said Saturday that Trump “must abandon the wall, plain and simple” for the government to reopen.

The shutdown has fueled the year-end chaos that appears to be enveloping Trump's presidency, along with plummeting stock markets, intraparty warfare over the ouster of Defense Secretary James MattisJames Norman MattisAppeals court sides with Trump on transgender military ban The Hill's Morning Report — Shutdown Day 14: Dems return to the White House Overnight Defense: Pompeo warns Iran against space launches | Top Army official makes surprise Afghanistan visit | Trump reportedly considering Jim Webb to replace Mattis MORE and troop withdrawals from Syria and Afghanistan and the Russia investigation.

Trump on Tuesday blasted Democrats as hypocrites, saying their opposition to a border wall is like their criticism of his decision to fire James ComeyJames Brien ComeyJordan blasts Democrat for pursuing Trump impeachment on first day of new Congress Dem lawmaker to introduce articles of impeachment against Trump on first day of new Congress Comey defends Romney for ‘calling out’ Trump MORE after they hammered the FBI director over his handling of the investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary ClintonHillary Diane Rodham ClintonWarren hires Obama campaign alum following campaign announcement: report Clinton meets individually with potential 2020 Dems: report 2020 Election: Democrats can’t afford to ignore their Israel problem MORE's email.

“Everybody hated Comey. They thought he did a horrible job. The Democrats hated him, they were calling for his resignation, they were calling for his resignation ... until I fired him,” Trump said.

“It's a disgrace what's happening in our country. But other than that, I wish everybody a very Merry Christmas,” he concluded.

Updated at 10:30 a.m.