Former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) suggested in a new interview that President Trump Donald John TrumpHR McMaster says president's policy to withdraw troops from Afghanistan is 'unwise' Cast of 'Parks and Rec' reunite for virtual town hall to address Wisconsin voters Biden says Trump should step down over coronavirus response MORE pay Speaker Nancy Pelosi Nancy PelosiMcConnell focuses on confirming judicial nominees with COVID-19 talks stalled Overnight Defense: Top admiral says 'no condition' where US should conduct nuclear test 'at this time' | Intelligence chief says Congress will get some in-person election security briefings Pelosi must go — the House is in dire need of new leadership MORE (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer Chuck SchumerMcConnell accuses Democrats of sowing division by 'downplaying progress' on election security Warren, Schumer introduce plan for next president to cancel ,000 in student debt Schumer lashes out at Trump over 'blue states' remark: 'What a disgrace' MORE (D-N.Y.) to make weekly addresses, calling them ineffective messengers for the Democratic Party.

In an interview Saturday with host John Catsimatidis on AM 970's "The Answer" in New York, Gingrich claimed that Schumer was refusing to work with Trump out of fear of left-wing elements in the Democratic Party, who Gingrich said did not want to compromise with Republicans.

"[Schumer] and Pelosi were so bad the other night that the president ought to sort of pay them to go on TV once a week," Gingrich said. "Because if that's the future of the Democratic Party, [then] it's going to be a very long election for the Democrats in 2020."

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"Schumer ... is a very smart man, but I think he's dealing with the objective reality that his party will not tolerate working with Trump," the former House GOP leader added. "And so in order to survive, he is taking positions and doing things that you and I would think make no sense at all."

Schumer and Pelosi have battled the president for weeks about whether Congress will appropriate more than $5 billion for the construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, which Trump has demanded be in any bill passed by Congress to reopen the government for his signature.

In a meeting last Friday, Trump told the two Democrats that he would keep the government closed for months or "years" if Congress would not allocate funding for a border wall.

The president has also floated declaring a national emergency over illegal immigration and moving funds to the wall project without congressional approval, though that move would face months of court battles.