Early Wednesday morning, Donald Trump took to Twitter to announce a new mantra for the GOP. The tweet — and the mantra itself — once again emphasized how determined Trump is to get his border wall built, even as the tide of public opinion swings away from the $5.7 billion wall in light of the ongoing government shutdown.
According to the Hill , Trump has been at odds with House Democrats (as well as a growing number of Republicans) since the shutdown began. The president has repeatedly stated that he will not end the shutdown until he gets funding for the wall. Trump has said he is willing to wait months or even years for the budget to include his border wall.
“BUILD A WALL & CRIME WILL FALL!” Trump tweeted on Wednesday morning. “This is the new theme, for two years until the Wall is finished (under construction now), of the Republican Party. Use it and pray!”
While the tweet indicates that the wall is underway, multiple reports have indicated this is false. Congress has actually not yet approved funding for the wall (hence the government shutdown), so construction of the barrier cannot begin. There has been some renovation on existing barriers in the area, but no new construction has started.
BUILD A WALL & CRIME WILL FALL!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 23, 2019
Trump followed the explanatory tweet with one that simply stated the new mantra, once again in all caps. He also included another tweet that emphasized how united the Republican party is, and how committed they are to successfully building the wall.
“Great unity in the Republican Party,” Trump wrote . “Want to, once and for all, put an end to stoppable crime and drugs! Border Security and Wall. No doubt!”
While the Republican party might be united on certain fronts, the wall is not necessarily one of them. As the government shutdown is well past the one-month mark, more and more Republican leaders are calling for a solution to the stalemate. Some have even suggested agreeing to the Democrats’ plan, which involved a bill to restart the government while still allowing for negotiations on the wall to continue separately. Trump has rejected this solution.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs8m7-plCvr/
And there’s another reason Trump might be trying to bolster support for his controversial wall. This week, the Senate is set to vote on the president’s new proposal. In the proposal, the government would be reopened, and Trump would receive the $5.7 billion he is demanding for the wall. The proposal also includes temporary protection for certain groups of undocumented immigrants.
Democrats have already rejected this proposal, which they say is nothing more than a rehashing of previously failed ideas. They’ve submitted their own proposal, which has already been passed by the House and would immediately provide funding to reopen the government.
Should the Senate fail to pass either of these bills, the shutdown is expected to carry on into February.
