Behind the (border) wall

About that wall — the “big, beautiful wall” along the Mexican border, the wall of the summer of 2016. So yes it has morphed into possibly a see-through wall or maybe solar panels or maybe just a replacement of the fencing along a 14-mile stretch as requested by Customs and Border Protection.

Oh, and remember all those Trump campaign rallies — where cheering fans were asked by the then candidate, “And who’s going to pay for the wall?” “Mexico!” they’d yell back. So imagine the newly elected president having his first real conversation with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto six days into the new administration. And while the contentious nature of that phone call became public knowledge shortly after it was made, a newly revealed transcript of it leaked to The Washington Post (yes, White House leaks continue apace) is horrifying not simply because the president attempted to bully his Mexican counterpart, but because he basically wanted him to lie about his own position on funding the wall.

Pena Nieto flat out told Trump, “My position has been and will continue to be very firm, saying Mexico cannot pay for the wall.”

Trump’s response? “But you cannot say that to the press. The press is going to go with that, and I cannot live with that.”

After all, the pattern was established early in this administration — when in doubt, lie, obfuscate, come up with “alternative facts” — anything but admit you’re wrong.

Even as Pena Nieto tried to explain that the notion of a wall “is an issue related to the dignity of Mexico and goes to the national pride of my country,” Trump insisted, “I have to have Mexico pay for the wall — I have to. I have been talking about it for a twoyear period.”

As Trump himself is so fond of saying — sad.