Trump still coy on border deal – but claims victory anyway

WASHINGTON (AP) — Even before seeing a final deal or agreeing to seal it, President Donald Trump labored on Wednesday to frame the congressional agreement on border security as a political win, never mind that it contains only a fraction of the billions for a “great, powerful wall” that he’s been demanding for months.

Trump is expected to grudgingly accept the agreement, which would avert another government shutdown and give him what Republicans have been describing as a “down payment” on his signature campaign pledge.

He said Wednesday that he’s still waiting on lawmakers to present him with final legislative language before making a decision. But he’s not waiting to declare victory, contending at the White House on Wednesday that a wall “is being built as we speak.”

Indeed, work on a first barrier extension — 14 miles in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley — starts this month, approved by Congress about a year ago along with money to renovate and strengthen some existing fencing. But that’s a far cry from the vast wall he promised during his campaign would “go up so fast your head will spin.”

Sounding like he was again in campaign mode, he told a law enforcement group on Wednesday, “It’s going to be a great, powerful wall . ... The wall is very, very on its way.”

Carried away by his own enthusiasm, perhaps, he added, “You are going to have to be in extremely good shape to get over this one. They would be able to climb Mount Everest a lot easier, I think.”

White House officials cautioned that they had yet to see final legislative language, which bargainers all but completed late Wednesday. And Trump has a history of balking at deals after signaling he was on board. But barring any major changes or late additions, he was expected to acquiesce, according to White House officials and other Republicans close to the White House who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the matter publicly.