President Trump repeated his vow Friday to declare a national emergency on the southern border if Democrats refuse to grant his request for border wall funding over the next three weeks.
“We’ll work with the Democrats and negotiate and if we can’t do that, then obviously we’ll do the emergency, because that’s what it is,” Mr. Trump told reporters at the White House. “It’s a national emergency.”
The president had appeared close to declaring an emergency at the border several weeks ago during the partial government shutdown. But he backed off the threat, saying it was likely to get tied up in court and he wanted to give Congress a chance to address his border security priorities.
On Friday, Mr. Trump gave in to Democrats and agreed to reopen government until Feb. 15 while the two sides negotiate on border security.
Asked if he can secure funding for a border barrier, the president replied, “I think we have a good chance.”
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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