Trump and Schumer-Pelosi brawl over the wall ahead of White House meeting
Hours ahead of a White House summit with Democratic leaders, President Donald Trump on Tuesday demanded funding for his long-promised wall along the U.S. southern border in a series of tweets filled with inaccuracies.
.....Ice, Border Patrol and our Military have done a FANTASTIC job of securing our Southern Border. A Great Wall would be, however, a far easier & less expensive solution. We have already built large new sections & fully renovated others, making them like new. The Democrats,.....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 11, 2018
....however, for strictly political reasons and because they have been pulled so far left, do NOT want Border Security. They want Open Borders for anyone to come in. This brings large scale crime and disease. Our Southern Border is now Secure and will remain that way.......
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 11, 2018
.....I look forward to my meeting with Chuck Schumer & Nancy Pelosi. In 2006, Democrats voted for a Wall, and they were right to do so. Today, they no longer want Border Security. They will fight it at all cost, and Nancy must get votes for Speaker. But the Wall will get built...
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 11, 2018
Trump is set to meet with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who is expected to be elected House Speaker next month. The two leaders said in a joinT statement Monday night that Trump knows the votes aren't there to approve the roughly $5 billion in funding for the wall that he is seeking as part of a deal to avert another government shutdown.
"Republicans still control the House, the Senate, and the White House, and they have the power to keep government open," said the two leaders. "Our country cannot afford a Trump Shutdown, especially at this time of economic uncertainty. This holiday season, the president knows full well that his wall proposal does not have the votes to pass the House and Senate, and should not be an obstacle to a bipartisan agreement."
The meeting will take place at 11:30 a.m. as the White House tries to strike a deal to avoid a government shutdown when the current funding agreement expires after Dec. 21. Border wall funding is the biggest issue.
Despite Trump's claims, no new concrete wall has been built along the U.S.-Mexico border since the president began his term last year, although some new fencing has been put up.
Trump made a major campaign issue in the run up to the midterms, sending thousands of troops to the border. There is also no evidence that migrants are bringing disease with them as the president claimed in one of his tweets Monday.
During his bid for the presidency and for some time after winning it, Trump promised that Mexico would pay for the wall. Mexico has said it will not.