Trump’s wall won’t be a wall, Kelly says

Departing chief of staff candid in interview

WASHINGTON • Donald

Trump’s outgoing chief of staff has admitted that the president’s planned wall along the U.S. and Mexico border would be more like a fence, as he gave his final interview before leaving office.

Gen John Kelly, who leaves the administration on Wednesday after a rocky 18-month tenure, broke with the president on key areas during an intriguing interview with The Los Angeles Times newspaper.

The two men have had a strained relationship in recent months. In September, Kelly denied claims made in Bob Woodward’s book, Fear, that he called the president an “idiot.”

Yesterday, it emerged that he fundamentally disagreed with Trump’s characterization of illegal immigrants as criminals who were invading America.

“We do have an immigration problem,” he said, but added: “Illegal immigrants, overwhelmingly, are not bad people,” describing many as victims of traffickers. “I have nothing but compassion for them, the young kids.”

He described his role spending 15-hour days alongside Trump as “bone crushing.”

And, speaking of the wall, Kelly said that after consultation with border patrol agents it became clear that a continuous, opaque structure would not be suitable. “To be honest, it’s not a wall,” he said. “The president still says ‘wall’ — oftentimes, frankly, he’ll say ‘barrier’ or ‘fencing’, now he’s tended toward steel slats.

“But we left a solid concrete wall early on in the administration, when we asked people what they needed and where they needed it.”

“They said: ‘Well we need a physical barrier in certain places, we need technology across the board, and we need more people.’ ”

Trump’s vision of what he called “a big beautiful wall” that “Mexico is going to pay for” became a rallying cry to supporters during his 2016 campaign.

But halfway through his four-year term, he is still trying to secure most of the estimated US$18 billion needed to fund it. The stalemate between Republicans and Democrats is at the heart of the government shutdown now entering its 10th day.

The partial shutdown began Dec. 22 after Trump bowed to conservative demands that he fight to make good on his vow and secure funding for the wall before Republicans lose control of the House on Wednesday. Democrats have remained committed to blocking the president’s priority, and with neither side engaging in substantive negotiation, the effect of the partial shutdown was set to spread and to extend into the new year.