Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer Get Roasted on Twitter for Their Response to Donald Trump's National Address

The image of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi standing together and issuing a joint response to President Donald Trump's address to the nation on border security was intended to portray the Democrats' stoic defiance amid the government shutdown.

Instead, Schumer and Pelosi were turned into a meme by Twitter users, who mercilessly roasted the pair, painting them as American Gothic symbols and disappointed parents.

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Trump spoke directly to the American people in a televised message on what the White House calls the "humanitarian and national security crisis" at the southern border.

The president wants to build a wall all along the border to keep out undocumented migrants. But Democrats, who hold a majority in the House, along with some Republicans, have refused to give Trump any of the $5.7 billion he has demandied to build the wall.

As a consequence of the impasse, the federal government has been partially shut down for 19 days, which has left 800,000 federal employees, as well as contractors, unpaid.

While Trump argues that the wall is essential for border security, Democrats view it as expensive, ineffective and a response to a crisis the president confected for political reasons. The wall was a staple of Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.

During his address, Trump cited the illicit drug trade, strains on public resources, the perilous journey migrants face, and examples of violent crime as justification for the wall and the crackdown on undocumented immigrants.

"Every day, customs and border control agents encounter thousands of illegal immigrants trying to enter our country," Trump said in his speech, which lasted almost 10 minutes.

"We are out of space to hold them and we have no way to promptly return them back home to their country. America proudly welcomes millions of lawful immigrants who enrich our society and contribute to our nation. But all Americans are hurt by uncontrolled illegal migration."

Schumer and Pelosi's response to Trump's speech lasted around five minutes and was also broadcast by the major TV networks.

"Sadly, much of what we've heard from President Trump through this senseless shutdown has been full of misinformation and even malice," Pelosi said, adding that the president had chosen to use "fear" instead of "facts."

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The California Democrat said the House had passed a bipartisan budget to reopen the government that Trump has refused to accept. She also accused the president of holding "innocent" federal employees "hostage" over his wall.

"He promised he'd keep government shut down for months or years no matter whom it hurts. That's just plain wrong," Pelosi said. "The fact is, we all agree we need to secure our borders while honoring our values."

She spoke of building infrastructure and investing in personnel and new technology at the border to detect drugs and unauthorized crossings.

"The fact is, the women and children at the border are not a security threat. They are a humanitarian challenge, a challenge that President Trump's own cruel and counterproductive policies have only deepened," Pelosi said.

"And the fact is, President Trump must stop holding the American people hostage, must stop manufacturing a crisis, and must reopen the government."