President Trump blamed congressional Democrats for the partial government shutdown that entered its 12th day on Wednesday, just hours before he was set to meet with Democrats to talk about a solution.
“We are in a shutdown because Democrats refuse to fund border security,” Trump said at a Cabinet meeting. Trump said there may be room to negotiate on border wall funding, but declined to be specific. A shutdown could last “as long as it takes,” Trump said.
And while Democrats were refusing to budge on his demand for $5 billion in border wall funding, Trump said his plan is one that would help reduce the number of illegal immigrants crossing into the United States.
“The United States needs a physical barrier,” Trump said in the meeting Wednesday. “[The border] needs a wall.”
“The wheel, the wall, some things never get old,” he said, adding that without a wall, the border is “like a sieve” that allows criminals, drugs, and human trafficking get through.
He said that a wall was a simple solution and again alluded to the times it has been used in the past, like in Israel.
Trump accused Democrats of playing politics with their sights set on the 2020 presidential race. Several high-profile Democratic lawmakers have indicated they’re looking at a 2020 run.
On Monday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., launched a exploratory committee in the first step toward wading into the 2020 waters.
