WASHINGTON

US President Donald Trump ruled out meeting with the Democratic leadership Tuesday until after an ongoing government shutdown, now on its third week, is brought to an end.

"I would love to meet, I would like to meet with both of them, but I set one little caveat. I will only meet if they let the country open. They have to let the country open," Trump told reporters at the White House.

"The people want to go back to work, they want to be served. They want to. They need the services of some people, and a lot of people need the money, the payroll, so I'll do it as soon as they open up the country, I'd like to meet," he added.

Neither side has budged on their demands to reopen the government, with Republicans and Trump continuing to insist on a short-term spending bill to fund the government at previous levels through late November, devoid of any new spending.

Democrats have insisted that any bill to reopen the government include funding for health care programs that were either gutted by Trump's mammoth spending bill, or whose government subsidies are slated to run out at year's end.

Trump has sought to pressure Democrats into dropping their demands by pursuing a number of novel tactics, including halting programs in Democratic-led jurisdictions and targeting their constituents in federal employee firings known as reductions in force.

The terminations are a particularly pointed measure that previous administrations have not pursued. Normally, government employees are either furloughed, or are required to work without pay for the duration of the shutdown.

Trump already lays claim to the longest shutdown in US history following the 35-day 2018-2019 government closure, just two weeks longer than the current shutdown.