President Donald Trump hosted the Clemson Tigers football team at the White House on Monday to celebrate its national championship.

Trump served the team a wide-ranging buffet of fast-food options for dinner, including roughly 300 burgers.

The White House, which has had a reduced staff during the partial government shutdown, blamed Democratic lawmakers for the impasse and said Trump was providing the meal at his expense.

On Monday, the Clemson Tigers football team took part in a White House visit to celebrate its national championship win over the Alabama Crimson Tide.

While some might have expected a fine steak dinner, President Donald Trump announced on Monday morning that the team would be greeted with a wide-ranging buffet of fast-food options.

"I think we're going to serve McDonald's, Wendy's, and Burger Kings with some pizza," Trump told reporters outside the White House. "I really mean it. It'll be interesting."

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 14: U.S. President Donald Trump presents fast food to be served to the Clemson Tigers in celebration of their national championship at the White House on January 14, 2019 in Washington, DC. Clemson won their second title in three years after beating Alabama 44-16 on January 7th. Chris Kleponis - Pool/Getty Images

Trump made good on his promise, displaying a sea of burgers for the players to indulge in later that night.

"So I had a choice," Trump told the team during dinner. "Do we have no food for you? Because we have a shutdown. Or do we give you some little, quick salads that the first lady will make?"

"I said, you guys aren't into salads," Trump added.

"The president wanted to host a fun event to celebrate the college football national champion Clemson Tigers," the White House press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, said in a statement.

The White House, which has a reduced staff during the partial government shutdown, blamed Democratic lawmakers for the impasse and said Trump was providing the meal at his own expense.

"Because the Democrats refuse to negotiate on border security, much of the residence staff at the White House is furloughed — so the president is personally paying for the event to be catered with some of everyone's favorite fast foods," the White House said.

The shutdown began December 22 when congressional Democrats refused Trump's demand that any spending legislation must provide billions of dollars for a wall on the US-Mexico border.

Democrats and some Republicans oppose paying for a border wall. The impasse has prompted what is now the longest government shutdown in US history.

About 300 burgers were set out for the players to eat, according to White House pool reports.

Pictures from the event showed the wide assortment of fast-food items.

Chick-Fil-A, a favorite of Clemson's start quarterback, did not immediately appear to be on the menu.