President Trump said again Sunday that he will only take a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border — though he admitted that the use of drones is “lots of fun.”
“The only way to stop drugs, gangs, human trafficking, criminal elements and much else from coming into our Country is with a Wall or Barrier. Drones and all of the rest are wonderful and lots of fun, but it is only a good old fashioned Wall that works!” Trump said in a morning tweet.
The only way to stop drugs, gangs, human trafficking, criminal elements and much else from coming into our Country is with a Wall or Barrier. Drones and all of the rest are wonderful and lots of fun, but it is only a good old fashioned Wall that works!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 23, 2018
Trump’s first tweet of the day came on the second day of the partial government shutdown after Congress missed a midnight deadline on Friday to reach a compromise with the White House.
Lawmakers have predicted that the shutdown could last past Christmas, and incoming acting White House chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney said the government cold remain shuttered into 2019.
Trump was supposed to head to Mar-a-Lago for Christmas, but he announced Friday he would stay due to the shutdown. On Sunday, he said the trip to Florida was canceled for Christmas.
There were no public events on the president’s schedule Saturday, though Trump did have lunch with conservative leaders at the White House to discuss border security. The president made no active statements after the meeting, and the White House provided no readout.
There is no press guidance issued yet for Trump for Sunday, possibly because of the partial government shutdown.
The shutdown happened after Trump torpedoed legislation that the House had already passed because it did not include $5 billion for a border wall.
The House passed legislation including the demand Thursday, but the Senate was unable to reach a compromise Friday after all Democrats and some Republicans refused to pass legislation with the $5 billion.
Mulvaney said Sunday that the White House offered Democratic leaders a new number during a Saturday meeting, and they are still “waiting to hear back” about that counteroffer.
A wall along the U.S.-Mexico border has long been one of Trump’s promises, and a foundation of his campaign.
