President Donald Trump took to Twitter early Monday morning to explain that he has not given up on the idea of having a completely concrete border wall after his outgoing Chief of Staff John Kelly said otherwise in an interview the day before.
“An all concrete Wall was NEVER ABANDONED, as has been reported by the media,” Trump tweeted. “Some areas will be all concrete but the experts at Border Patrol prefer a Wall that is see through (thereby making it possible to see what is happening on both sides). Makes sense to me!”
An all concrete Wall was NEVER ABANDONED, as has been reported by the media. Some areas will be all concrete but the experts at Border Patrol prefer a Wall that is see through (thereby making it possible to see what is happening on both sides). Makes sense to me!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 31, 2018
The president’s comments about the wall were likely spurred by Kelly’s interview with The Los Angeles Times. During it, Kelly said, “The president still says ‘wall’ — oftentimes frankly he’ll say ‘barrier’ or ‘fencing,’ now he’s tended toward steel slats. But we left a solid concrete wall early on in the administration when we asked people what they needed and where they needed it.”
Trump has tweeted a lot about the wall since the government shutdown began slightly before Christmas. The president has continued to hold firm on his demand for Congress to fund the wall. But, Democrats have made it clear that they do not intend to begin negotiations for government funding until after Jan. 3 when the Dems reclaim the majority in the House. (RELATED: The Government Is Officially In Partial Shutdown — This Is What You Can Expect)
TOPSHOT – Men from Mexico climb the US-Mexico border wall in Playas de Tijuana, northwestern Mexico, November 18, 2018.(GUILLERMO ARIAS/AFP/Getty Images)
On Sunday, the president tweeted that the United States just needs a “slightly larger version” of the wall surrounding former President Barack Obama’s home in Washington, D.C.
Earlier this month, the president also tweeted about having a wall with “steel slats.” Trump said in the following days that he does not care if people call it a “steel slat fence” or a “wall.”