Republicans want Trump to keep out of border talks

“I think it would be more worthwhile and effective if the president would allow some space for these negotiations to occur and not be doing commentary at this point,” said Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine).

Sen. John Thune (S.D.), the No. 2 Senate Republican, said he hoped Trump’s skepticism was “wrong” and that the president was just “trying to set expectations low.”

Asked if the president should give negotiators some space, Thune added: “I think it’s good to let them do their thing and see what they can come up with.”

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), asked about Trump’s belief that Republicans are wasting their time, said she was trying to “urge success” and that the conference committee should “be empowered to do their work.”