President Trump said that, while it’s not the ideal path, he would issue an emergency declaration to get a wall built at the southern border if Democrats continue to refuse a compromise.
The President definitively conveyed his ability to make such a declaration to reporters in the Oval Office, stating he has the “absolute right” to declare an emergency. Still, he remained optimistic that a deal could be struck without having to go down that path.
“I have the absolute right to do a national emergency if I want,” he said. “I think something will happen. I really do. Otherwise, we will have to go about it in a different manner.”
With negotiations set to resume in a meeting between Trump and congressional lawmakers at the White House Wednesday afternoon, the President reiterated a threat to use the emergency declaration.
“I think we might work a deal, and if we don’t we might go that route,” he said.
MOMENTS AGO: President Trump says he may still declare a national emergency to build a border wall:
“I have the absolute right if I want. My threshold will be if I can’t make a deal with people that are unreasonable”
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) January 9, 2019
Democrats Should Heed Trump’s Warning
As we reported on Monday, Trump’s primetime address to the nation seemed to be laying the groundwork for declaring a national emergency, thus circumventing Congress and finding a different solution to funding the border wall.
The President has been referring to his address in terms of a “national security crisis” and outlining the “humanitarian” crisis – such as wage-stealing and the opioid epidemic – that only a strong border wall can avert.
Now, he’s following that up with a reminder prior to further negotiations that he can declare the emergency if need be.
The President is not one to back away from a challenge, and if Democrats continue to be “people that are unreasonable,” America just might see a border wall funded and their safety improved without any help from the “resistance” party.
That won’t reflect well on them.
Time’s Running Out
One source, according to Axios, said “a declaration of a national emergency at the border … remains the most likely ultimate option, because of the latitude it gives the president.”
Democrat leaders have countered that the President has shifted the goalposts on negotiations, though $5 billion for funding has seemed like a pretty consistent request.
“The White House seems to move the goal posts,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said. “Every time they come with a proposal, they walk away from it. Pretty soon these goals posts won’t even be in the stadium.”
They haven’t shifted, lawmakers just aren’t quite used to somebody sticking to their guns.
$5 billion. Build the wall. End of story.
“If I did something that was foolish, like gave up on border security, the first ones that would hit me are my senators, they’d be angry at me,” Trump said. “The second ones would be the House. And the third ones would be, frankly, my base.”
More importantly, not giving up on border security is simply the right thing to do for the American people.
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Keep fighting, Mr. President.
