Trump’s claims about who will pay for wall have evolved since 2015

In April 2015, Donald Trump promised the United States that he would build a wall on the border with Mexico and that Mexico would cover the cost.

It was at an event in New Hampshire covered by Paul Steinhauser of NH1 News, targeting the state which, as it turns out, would provide Trump with his first victory in electoral politics.

Trump’s insistence that Mexico would pay for the wall is, in fact, older than his campaign itself. At that New Hampshire event, he even said how it would happen, in broad strokes.

“I will take it from out of just a small fraction of the money they’ve been screwing us for over the last number of years,” he claimed.

That is salient in the moment because of the ongoing government shutdown that stems from Trump’s insistence that the American — not the Mexican — government will pick up the tab. He went further in comments to reporters Wednesday, claiming that his frequent assertions that Mexico would pay for the wall were always meant to suggest an indirect payment.

“When during the campaign I would say, ‘Mexico’s going to pay for it,’ obviously I never said this and I never meant they’re going to write out a check,” Trump said. “I said they’re going to pay for it. They are. They are paying for it with the incredible deal we made, called the United States, Mexico and Canada — USMCA — deal.”

Trump went on to note that the trade deal hadn’t been approved by Congress yet and, therefore, wasn’t paying anything for anything. He did not, however, also point out that there is no actual mechanism within that deal that would accomplish the payment he insists will follow.

He has, at times, however, claimed Mexico would carry out the equivalent of signing over a check. Here are some of his claims:

April 2015: “I will take it from out of just a small fraction of the money they’ve been screwing us for over the last number of years.”

It’s worth noting that the trade deficit is not a function of an imbalance between governments but, instead, of the discrepancy between the value of goods and services purchased from or sold to either country. A reduction in the trade deficit does not generate money that the government can use to pay for a construction project.

June 2015: At his campaign launch: “I will have Mexico pay for that wall.”

September 2015: “Mexico’s going to pay for the wall, believe me,” he said during a speech in L.A.

October 2015: During a debate: “A politician cannot get them to pay. I can.”

January 016: “Mexico is going to pay for the wall,” Trump told MSNBC. “They don’t understand it. They say to me, some of the politicians, ‘How are you going to get them to pay for the wall?’ They don’t get it, because I’m a business guy, that is what I do.”

March After months of criticism over his claim that Mexico would pay, Trump’s campaign sent The Washington Post a memo explaining how it would work. First, the theory went, the government would propose blocking wire transfers from some noncitizens to people in Mexico. When the Mexican government protested, they would be told to pay for the wall in a lump sum, or the proposal would go into effect. The plan then lists a few other proposed mechanisms: the trade deficit, canceling visas for Mexicans or increasing visa fees.

October 2016: In a “contract” with voters, the Trump campaign pledged that a wall would be built “with the understanding that the country of Mexico will be reimbursing the United States for the full cost of such wall.”

January 2017: At his first news conference as president-elect, Trump said he would push for construction on the wall to start immediately, even if payment from Mexico came later.

January 2017: Trump told ABC’s David Muir: “We will be, in a form, reimbursed by Mexico, which I’ve always said. I’m just telling you, there will be a payment.”

January “We’re working on a tax reform bill that will reduce our trade deficits, increase American exports and will generate revenue from Mexico that will pay for the wall.”

January 2017: In a call with Mexico’s president, Trump threatened to call off an upcoming meeting: “If you are going to say that Mexico is not going to pay for the wall, then I do not want to meet with you guys anymore, because I cannot live with that,” he said.

June 2017: “We’re thinking about building the wall as a solar wall so it creates energy and pays for itself. And this way, Mexico will have to pay much less money.”