Trump visit to border to boost wall

United States: Talks end in acrimony

President Donald Trump is visiting the US-Mexico border in a bid to bolster his case for a wall after talks with Democrats ended in acrimony.

Mr Trump stormed out of his meeting with congressional leaders as efforts to end the partial government shutdown fell into deeper disarray.

Hundreds of thousands of federal workers will not be paid again today.

“The Opposition Party & the Dems know we must have Strong Border Security, but don’t want to give ‘Trump’ another one of many wins!” Mr Trump tweeted yesterday before departing for Texas. During his stop in McAllen, Mr Trump will visit a border patrol station for a discussion on immigration and border security.

But Mr Trump has expressed his own doubts that his appearance and remarks will change any minds, as he seeks $5.7 billion for the wall that has been his signature promise since his presidential campaign.

McAllen is located in the Rio Grande Valley, the busiest part of the border for illegal border crossings.

The unravelling talks prompted further speculation about whether Mr Trump would declare a national emergency and try to authorise the wall on his own if Congress will not approve the money he is seeking.

Before leaving for Texas, he told reporters it would be “very surprising” for him not to declare a national emergency if he cannot reach a deal with Democrats over funding.

He said he would prefer to work with Congress on a deal to end the partial government shutdown and is open to compromise but will use his emergency powers to circumvent Congress if they cannot come to agreement.