Donald Trump: The Wall Is Actually Just Renovation of Old Fences
President Donald Trump admitted that he wasn’t actually going to build a great new wall on the southern border but repair existing fences and build selective strategic border structures.
“The WALL, which is already under construction in the form of new renovation of old and existing fences and walls, will continue to be built,” Trump wrote on Twitter on Thursday morning.
The president confirmed the fears of many supporters who worry that his campaign promise of a single “great wall” of “hardened concrete” and “rebar and steel” would go unfulfilled.
The promised wall was a feature of Trump’s agenda, as he mocked current border infrastructure.
After his inauguration, Trump described current border walls as “little toy walls” in an interview with Sean Hannity in January, vowing to replace them with something new.
“I’m talking about a real wall. I’m talking about a wall that’s got to be, like, serious,” Trump said.
Trump’s national security officials, including Gen. John Kelly, have argued that a solid concrete wall on the Southern border is not necessary, touting strategic fencing and border infrastructure.
Democrats have vowed not to fund Trump’s wall winning an early concession from the administration in May.
At the time, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer argued that funding for bollard fencing was an effective way to secure the border, but stopped short of saying that it was the wall that the president had promised.