Trump calls off stimulus talks, then calls for stimulus

U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly ended talks with Democrats on a coronavirus aid package then just as quickly appeared to call on Congress to enact new stimulus measures to lessen the blow of the pandemic.

In his first major policy pronouncement since returning from the hospital, Trump tweeted, "I have instructed my representatives to stop negotiating until after the election when, immediately after I win, we will pass a major Stimulus Bill that focuses on hardworking Americans and Small Business.”

Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had been negotiating a massive aid package with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

In a webcast event Tuesday night, Pelosi dismissed Trump's comment.

"And then today comes out of the house, yesterday comes out of the hospital and says, 'turn off the negotiations'. So you never know what's going to be coming next. But I think that when you say 'what is the president thinking?' you may be using that term - thinking - loosely."

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden accused Trump of abandoning Americans in the midst of a pandemic, tweeting, “The president turned his back on you.”

And Republican Senator Susan Collins - locked in a tight race for re-election in her state of Maine - called pulling the plug on stimulus talks a “huge mistake.”

But then Trump appeared to reverse himself, calling on lawmakers to "immediately" approve billions to support the airline industry, federal loans for small businesses, and new $1,200 stimulus checks for workers.

Senate Republicans have taken up no new stimulus measures since the spring, and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday told reporters he wanted to focus on "what's achievable."

Namely, confirmation of Trump nominee for the Supreme Court, conservative judge Amy Coney Barrett.