Trump: Border wall will be cheaper

– President Donald Trump pushed back on Saturday on assertions that the wall he wants built on the US border with Mexico would cost more than anticipated and said he would reduce the price.

Trump made his comments in two Twitter posts but did not say how he would bring down the cost.

Reuters on Thursday published details of a report by the department of Homeland Security that estimated the price of a wall along the border at $21.6 billion (R288 billion). During his campaign Trump had cited a $12 billion figure.

“I am reading that the great border wall will cost more than the government originally thought, but I have not gotten involved in the design or negotiations yet,” Trump tweeted from his Florida resort, where he was hosting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

“When I do, just like with the F-35 FighterJet or the Air Force One Programme, price will come WAY DOWN!”

Trump, who took office on January 20, said his administration had been able to cut about $600 million from a deal to buy about 90 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters from Lockheed-Martin. Defence analysts and sources downplayed news of those cuts, saying the discount hailed by Trump was in line with what had been flagged by Lockheed for months and would apply to other countries committed to the programme.

A border wall to stem illegal immigration was one of Trump’s main campaign promises. He has vowed to make Mexico reimburse the United States for its cost but Mexico has repeatedly said it will not do so. –