NEW YORK — There is no easy way out.

As the third government shutdown of President Donald Trump’s tenure stretched into its 20th day, political pressures on Trump and the Democrats have left little room for compromise in the standoff over funding for a border wall. Most prominently, Trump’s narrow focus on the desires of his most ardent supporters has him convinced he cannot back off his signature campaign promise without facing backlash. Some powerful Republican allies in Washington and beyond are cheering on his demands for $5.7 billion funding for the wall, even if some remain uneasy.

For Democrats, broad public skepticism about Trump’s case for the wall — combined with a driving push from the base to stand up to the Republican president — has assured them they’re on solid ground in refusing to bend.

The looming question is whether the impact of the shutdown on government services and the plight of struggling federal workers force Republican lawmakers to break from the president or compel Democrats to budge. Until then, the dispute has given both parties a fast first test in the politics of divided government as they try to trade blame, manage their messages and strike a balance between competing political wings.

Each side appeared dug in even deeper after a White House meeting between Trump and Democratic leaders on Wednesday as the economic livelihoods of some 800,000 federal workers hang in the balance. Trump said he quickly ended the meeting after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi indicated that Democrats would not fund his wall under any circumstances.

Trump’s focus now is squarely on his conservative base and its support for the wall that came to symbolize Trump’s promise for a hardline, unrelenting approach to immigration.

“He got elected because of that wall,” said Trump confidant Jerry Falwell Jr., president of the evangelical Liberty University.

Falwell said he has told Trump he’s doing the right thing. “I don’t think it’ll help him at all if he backs down.”

White House aides largely agree. Officials maintain the issue is a political winner, though they have urged the president to be more aggressive in making his case to the public — and to any wavering Republican lawmakers.

Trump outlined his argument in graphic terms during a prime-time Oval Office address Tuesday night. While several studies suggest that illegal immigration has no impact on crime rates, the president highlighted horrific crimes committed by immigrants and suggested his wall was needed to prevent this “crisis.”

“How much more American blood must we shed before Congress does its job?” asked Trump, who plans to visit the border on Thursday, the partial government shutdown’s 20th day.