Trump pushes back against aide over border wall
President Donald Trump has reacted to his own chief of staff’s remarks over the border wall with Mexico.
President Trump tweeted that "The Wall is the Wall, it has never changed or evolved from the first day I conceived of it".
The Wall is the Wall, it has never changed or evolved from the first day I conceived of it. Parts will be, of necessity, see through and it was never intended to be built in areas where there is natural protection such as mountains, wastelands or tough rivers or water.....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 18, 2018
Some Democrats who met with Trump aide John Kelly on Wednesday say Mr Kelly told them there are parts of the border where a wall is not needed and that the president did not know that when making campaign promises.
....The Wall will be paid for, directly or indirectly, or through longer term reimbursement, by Mexico, which has a ridiculous billion dollar trade surplus with the U.S. The billion dollar Wall is “peanuts” compared to what Mexico makes from the U.S. NAFTA is a bad joke!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 18, 2018
We need the Wall for the safety and security of our country. We need the Wall to help stop the massive inflow of drugs from Mexico, now rated the number one most dangerous country in the world. If there is no Wall, there is no Deal!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 18, 2018
President Trump is now tweeting that some of the wall will be "see through and it was never intended to be built in areas where there is natural protection such as mountains, wastelands or tough rivers or water ..."
He also says the wall "will be paid for, directly or indirectly, or through longer term reimbursement, by Mexico, which has a ridiculous $71bn US dollar trade surplus with the US.
"The $20bn Wall is ’peanuts’ compared to what Mexico makes from the US."
