President Trump warned Democrats to be “careful what you wish for” as he shrugged off the looming threat of being forced from office with the 25th Amendment.
He delivered prepared remarks in Texas during a visit to the border wall with Mexico but lost no time in addressing the roiling tension that he left behind in Washington, where House members were later due to vote on a resolution demanding that Vice President Mike Pence invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump.
“The 25th Amendment is of zero risk to me but will come back to haunt Joe Biden and the Biden administration,” he said. “As the expression goes, be careful what you wish for.”
His trip marked the first time that he had left the White House since last Wednesday, when thousands of his supporters laid siege to the Capitol.
President Trump: “Free speech is under assault like never before.
The 25th Amendment is of zero risk to me, but will come back to haunt Joe Biden and the Biden Administration.
As the expression goes, be careful what you wish for.” pic.twitter.com/e7CeBOj0iK
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) January 12, 2021
He delivered his speech in Alamo, Texas, which is close to the U.S.-Mexican border and the site of the 450th mile of the border wall that his administration is building.
Despite the milestone, it is still far short of his campaign promise to build 1,000 miles of border wall for $4 billion and get Mexico to pay for it.
Even so, he signed a plaque on the wall to commemorate his visit.
But his prepared remarks opened with references to the attack on the Capitol last week and the recriminations that have battered his White House ever since.
“Millions of our citizens watched on Wednesday as a mob stormed the Capitol and trashed the halls of government,” he said. “As I have consistently said throughout my administration, we believe in respecting America’s history and traditions, not tearing them down. We believe in the rule of law, not in violence or rioting.”
And he referenced the way in which he and his supporters face being removed from social media platforms.
“Free speech is under assault like never before,” he said.
The rampage through the halls of Congress has left the president stewing with anger inside the White House.
Aides have been trying to set up events to trumpet his achievements in office, such as economic growth and investment in the armed forces, but the president has found himself facing fresh legal jeopardy and impeachment during his final eight days.
His troubles cast a long shadow over his trip to Texas.
He spoke to reporters as he flew out, insisting that he was not responsible for fomenting the violence that left five people dead despite a speech in which he called on supporters to march on Congress.
“People thought that what I said was totally appropriate,” he said at Joint Base Andrews before boarding Air Force One for the flight to Texas.
And minutes earlier, as he left the White House, he said that the Democrats’ efforts to impeach him were the “continuation of the greatest witch hunt in the history of politics.”
