President Trump visited the U.S.-Mexico border Thursday in Texas where he warned again he could declare a national emergency to get his long-awaited border wall if he cannot reach a deal with Congress.
“I have the absolute right to declare a national emergency, the lawyers have so advised me,” Trump told reporters on the White House lawn. “I’m not prepared to do that yet, but if I have to, I will.”
He added: “If this doesn’t work out, probably, I will do it. I would almost say, definitely. This is a national emergency. ... If we don’t make a deal, I would say it would be very surprising to me that I would not declare a national emergency.”
However, Trump has insisted that he would rather come to an agreement with Democrats first.
“Either we’ll win or make a compromise. I’m okay to make a compromise—compromise is in my vocabulary very strongly,” Trump said. “I think a compromise is a win for everybody, otherwise, I can declare a national emergency.”
Democrats are holding their ground and refusing to give in to the $5.6 billion demanded for border wall construction and security.
“This isn’t leadership; it’s chaos," Democratic National Commitee Chairman Tom Perez said in a statement. "800,000 workers remain furloughed or working without pay ... The American people are demanding an end to the Trump Shutdown. The House has already passed bipartisan legislation to end the Trump Shutdown, and Democrats are ready to pass legislation to fund common-sense, effective border security. The president should cancel his publicity stunt, stay in Washington, and end the shutdown crisis he created.”
Read more at Fox News.
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