Trump signals delay in funding for wall

After appearing to have softened his stand on the US-Mexico wall to avoid a federal government shutdown, President Donald Trump pushed back against suggestion that he had changed his position on the central promise of his campaign for the White House.

“Don’t let the fake media tell you that I have changed my position on the WALL,” the president tweeted on Tuesday, adding, “It will get built and help stop drugs, human trafficking etc.”

At a meeting with conservative media personalities on Monday, Trump was reported to have said he was willing to wait for the funding for the wall till September. In the ongoing negotiations to keep the US federal government funded and open after Friday, Trump has sought $1.5 billion to start work on the wall, which experts say could cost $21.6 billion and take over three and a half years to construct.

Trump has also sought more money for defence, another key poll promise, but the wall has turned out to be the deal-breaker in the negotiations, with Democrats determined to oppose it; a leading member has called it “immoral”.

While Republicans control both chambers of congress and might look in a position to grant the president his key wish, they need Democrats to pass the legislation — to offset Republicans who might vote against it, for instance, in the House.

Democrat are willing to include some money in the spending legislation to beef up security along the border to give Trump the satisfaction, mostly symbolic, of being seen to have delivered on a key promise in his first 100 days in office. But not for the wall.