President Trump insisted on Thursday that he is keeping his campaign promise to build the wall and have Mexico pay for it.
In a tweet, he said the new trade agreement to replace NAFTA would save the U.S. so much money, that Mexico is effectively buying the border wall for America.
“I often stated, “One way or the other, Mexico is going to pay for the Wall.” This has never changed,” Trump tweeted Thursday morning. “Our new deal with Mexico (and Canada), the USMCA, is so much better than the old, very costly & anti-USA NAFTA deal, that just by the money we save, MEXICO IS PAYING FOR THE WALL!”
I often stated, “One way or the other, Mexico is going to pay for the Wall.” This has never changed. Our new deal with Mexico (and Canada), the USMCA, is so much better than the old, very costly & anti-USA NAFTA deal, that just by the money we save, MEXICO IS PAYING FOR THE WALL!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 13, 2018
Trump recently signed the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and former Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto. But despite Trump’s claim, Democrats say the U.S. is still paying for the wall, and have fought Trump’s request to appropriate another $5 billion to build more sections of it.
During an oval office meeting this week, Trump got into a spat with Democratic leaders Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Calif., and Sen. Chuck Schumer, N.Y., over funding for the border wall. Trump says he will only accept the full $5 billion, and would be “proud” to shut down the government if Democrats did not agree to the full amount.
The Washington Post fact checker unveiled a new rank this week — the Bottomless Pinocchio — that said it was based in part on Trump’s repeated claim that Mexico would pay for the border wall.
