Trump says he can build Mexico border wall cheaper
WASHINGTON // Donald Trump yesterday railed against 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. The US president made his comments in two Twitter posts but did not say how he would bring down the cost. A report by the department of homeland security put the price of a wall along the entire border at US$21.6 billion (Dh79bn). During his presidential campaign Mr Trump said it would cost $12bn.
“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 nego- tiations yet,” he tweeted from Florida, where he was hosting Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe.
“When I do, just like with the F-35 FighterJet or the Air Force One Program, price will come WAY DOWN!”
After taking office on January 20, Mr Trump said his administration had been able to cut $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 was in line with what had been flagged by Lockheed for months. Mr Trump also tweeted yesterday about his immigration policy – the legal battle over the presidential order banning entry to the United States for refugees and citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries.
“Our legal system is broken! ‘ 77% of refugees allowed into US since travel reprieve hail from seven suspect countries.’ ( WT) SO DANGEROUS!” he said.
The tweet was an apparent reference to a Washington Times story saying 77 per cent of the 1,100 refugees who have entered the US since February 3 are from the countries covered by the ban.
A federal judge in Seattle blocked the executive order on February 3, lifting the ban while litigation proceeds. Mr Trump has been critical of the ruling and a subsequent appeals court decision to uphold it.