President Donald Trump obsessively ranted about his wall on Thursday morning, proclaiming that he intends to build it “one way or another” while simultaneously claiming that it’s already being built in a clearly unhinged Twitter tantrum.
For 35 days, Trump refused to sign a bill to reopen the government over his demand, a demand that a solid majority of Americans oppose. The shutdown shaved billions of dollars off the economy and resulted in 800,000 federal workers being furloughed or unpaid, disrupting air travel and multiple government services.
As February approaches and the expiration of the continuing resolution to fund the government for three weeks gets closer, Trump threw a hissy fit on Twitter about his demand for border wall funding.
Trump claimed that it’s already being built and even went so far as to use the murder rate in Mexico in order to justify it in yet another effort to scare Americans into submission.
Large sections of WALL have already been built with much more either under construction or ready to go. Renovation of existing WALLS is also a very big part of the plan to finally, after many decades, properly Secure Our Border. The Wall is getting done one way or the other!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 31, 2019
Lets just call them WALLS from now on and stop playing political games! A WALL is a WALL!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 31, 2019
Very sadly, Murder cases in Mexico in 2018 rose 33% from 2017, to 33,341. This is a big contributor to the Humanitarian Crises taking place on our Southern Border and then spreading throughout our Country. Worse even than Afghanistan. Much caused by DRUGS. Wall is being built!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 31, 2019
With Murders up 33% in Mexico, a record, why wouldn’t any sane person want to build a Wall! Construction has started and will not stop until it is finished. @LouDobbs @foxandfriends
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 31, 2019
Trump then bizarrely undermined his own demand for funding again by repeating his claim that the wall is already being built, and attacked Democrats for not believing his fear mongering.
Republicans on the Homeland Security Committee are wasting their time. Democrats, despite all of the evidence, proof and Caravans coming, are not going to give money to build the DESPERATELY needed WALL. I’ve got you covered. Wall is already being built, I don’t expect much help!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 31, 2019
Why would Democrats believe someone who has lied over 7,000 times since he took office? Fact-checkers have been working around the clock to debunk Trump’s claims, and they have done so effectively. A wall will not stop drugs from entering the country because most of them come through legal ports of entry. The wall will also not stop the crime of illegal immigration.
Furthermore, terrorists do not cross the border and much of Trump’s claims come from a fictional movie plot.
The wall isn’t even being built as Trump claims since Congress has only authorized funding to repair existing border fencing in addition to a few miles of additional fencing.
And Trump has already repeatedly undermined his claim that a wall is necessary by bragging that border security is “tight.”
Trump also appears to be threatening yet another government shutdown or an unconstitutional national emergency declaration with his “one way or another” claim.
It’s unlikely that Trump will get a physical barrier on the border as he has been demanding. It’s just politically toxic, but also an ineffective waste of money that will cost far more to build and will be a logistical and environmental nightmare that will cost us even more in the long term.
What Democrats will likely support is a “smart” wall along the border using technology and increased personnel, which Republicans also support. That’s a deal both parties can get behind, and it would likely be veto-proof because the last thing Republicans want is to be blamed for yet another shutdown.
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