President Donald Trump will make his case to Americans on Tuesday that a wall is urgently needed to resolve what he calls a crisis at the U. S.-Mexico border, trying to make good on a campaign promise in a dispute that has sparked an 18-day partial government shutdown.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) — President Donald Trump will make his case to Americans on Tuesday that a wall is urgently needed to resolve what he calls a crisis at the U. S.-Mexico border, trying to make good on a campaign promise in a dispute that has sparked an 18-day partial government shutdown.
Trump’s prime-time address, scheduled for 9 p.m. (0200 GMT Wednesday) will be the Republican president’s latest attempt to persuade Democrats to back his push for a steel barrier on the southern border.
Amid his talk of crisis, Trump is considering declaring the border situation a national emergency, which could get him out of an impasse by enabling him to bypass Congress’ mandate to approve federal spending and to build the wall without its approval. Such a step, however, would likely face an immediate legal challenge.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that Trump was unlikely to use his televised speech to declare a national emergency. It was not clear whether he might do so at a later date.
The White House has not said why the situation might constitute a national emergency. In television interviews on Tuesday morning, Vice President Mike Pence said Trump would tell Americans there is “a humanitarian and security crisis” at the border.
“We believe we can solve this through the legislative process,” Pence told CBS, urging Democrats to negotiate. He did not say whether Trump had made a decision about declaring a national emergency or if the White House had completed its legal review of such a declaration. MOUNTING CONCERN
A growing proportion of Americans blame Trump for the government shutdown, although Republicans mostly support his refusal to approve a budget that does not include funds for the wall, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday.
