In a speech on Friday, the president said he will shut down the government again or declare a national emergency if a border wall deal isn’t made by Feb. 15.
President Donald Trump said Friday that reopening the government earlier in the day wasn’t a concession to Democrats and that he still insists on building a barrier along the U. S.-Mexico border.
The president seems to be caught between a rock and, well, a wall when it comes to pundits on both sides of the political aisle. Whereas Democrats say the president did, in fact, concede, some on the right said Trump caved to the Democrats. The president insists that didn’t happen.
Friday marked the 35th day of the partial government shutdown, and Trump said he will support a stopgap spending bill — that doesn’t include border wall funding — to open the government back up for three weeks. But if a deal on the wall isn’t made by Feb.15, the president insisted his administration would be “off to the races.“
“I wish people would read or listen to my words on the Border Wall. This was in no way a concession. It was taking care of millions of people who were getting badly hurt by the Shutdown with the understanding that in 21 days, if no deal is done, it’s off to the races!,“ he tweeted.
The Senate passed legislation Friday afternoon to reopen the government and make back payments to employees, and the president signed the bill Friday night.
