The US House of Representatives' Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi has questioned Donald Trump's fitness for office, calling on the US President's family to stage an "intervention".
Photo: AP
Nancy Pelosi, the House Speaker said she was concerned for the president's wellbeing "and the wellbeing of the United States of America" a day after he abruptly cut short a meeting with her.
The top Democrat described Mr Trump's behaviour as a "temper tantrum", saying he pounded the table before leaving.
"I pray for the President of the United States," Mrs Pelosi said. "I wish that his family or his administration or his staff would have an intervention for the good of the country."
She depicted Mr Trump's behaviour as "villainous", citing his rejecting of subpoenas, withholding documents and blocking testimony by current and ex-advisers.
Her attack was the latest episode in an increasingly fraught battle of wills between her and the Republican president. It represents a new low in relations between the White House and Democrats.
Mr Trump, Mrs Pelosi and her Senate counterpart Chuck Schumer were due to discuss spending on ageing US roads and bridges on Wednesday - a rare area of possible agreement with the White House - but Mr Trump ended the meeting after barely five minutes.
Almost immediately afterwards, the president appeared in the Rose Garden to declare that he was ending all bipartisan co-operation with Democrats until they stopped their "phoney investigations".
Photo: Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved AP Photo/Andrew Harnik
As rank-and-file Democrats call for Mr Trump's impeachment, the House speaker continued to warned against such a move, arguing that the president was goading her party to attempt to remove him from office.
"The White House is just crying out for impeachment, that's why he flipped yesterday," Ms Pelosi said on Thursday. "Impeachment is a very divisive place to go."
- BBC