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Five takeaways from Trump's El Paso rally on border wall, shutdown talks

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WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump held his first rally of the year Monday, using the backdrop of El Paso, Texas, to make a case for his…
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump held his first rally of the year Monday, using the backdrop of El Paso, Texas, to make a case for his controversial border wall and stepped up immigration enforcement.
Part 2020 messaging, part an effort to influence ongoing negotiations over government funding, Trump blasted Democrats and touted his own successes over the past two years. Prepare to hear these same themes a lot of over the next two.
Here are five key takeaways from Trump’s rally in El Paso.
Trump mostly avoided the night’s breaking news – that budget negotiators in Congress had reached a deal “in principle” to keep the government open past Friday, when current funding will expire.
“They said progress is being made,“ Trump said, referring to aides who briefed him before he began speaking in El Paso, where signs hanging from the rafters read: „Finish the wall.“
„I don’t want to hear about it,“ Trump said he told his aides, adding that he chose to address the crowd rather than learn about details of the deal.
“We probably have some good news,” he said. “But who knows.”
Trump gave no indication of whether he’d be willing to sign such a deal.
Trump’s rally remarks in El Paso, Texas, were frequently notable for what the president didn’t say. After weeks of threatening to declare a national emergency as a way of freeing up federal funding for his border wall, Trump never used the words “national emergency” in a room full of supporters.
“Just so you know, we’re building the wall anyway,” Trump said.

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