President Donald Trump invoked his predecessor’s fence during a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday while advocating for a “physical barrier” at the U.S.-Mexico border.
“The United States needs a physical barrier, it needs a wall,” he said, before noting that former President Barack Obama has a wall “around his compound,” a claim Trump made earlier this week that was debunked by neighbors. The Obamas have a gate around a portion of their Washington, D.C. home and a guard booth for security purposes, but the front and other parts of the house are open to the street.
In the past, Trump has flip-flopped between whether he’s advocating for a physical wall or stronger border security that could include fences or drones across portions of the border. On Wednesday, he made it clear that he’s pushing for a physical barrier.
“We are in a shutdown because Democrats refuse to fund border security,” he said, adding that a wall is the best way to do that. “The wheel, the wall, some things never get old.”
“Look at all the countries that have walls. And they work 100 percent,” he continued. “It’s never gonna change. A wall is a wall. The others just– I mean, we could have all of the drones flying over the people last night as they tried to rush the border. The only thing that stopped them was the wall. If we have drones up there, it’s wonderful, we’ll get nice pictures.”
