Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

Trump after he arrived at McAllen International Airport near the border in Texas Evan Vucci/PA Images

Trump warns that murderers and gangsters would spread across America if wall isn't built

In other Trump news, his former lawyer Michael Cohen is set to testify to Congress next month.

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP warned of murderers and gangsters spreading across the country during a visit to the US-Mexican border yesterday to push his demand for a multi-billion dollar wall.

Trump used the backdrop of the Rio Grande border river at McAllen, Texas, to ramp up what has already turned into a hugely messy political fight with Democratic opponents, resulting in the shutdown of swathes of the US government.

A further headache for Trump comes in the form of his former lawyer Michael Cohen, who is set to testify in Congress next month.

Cohen, who was sentenced to three years in prison in December, is a central witness in the Russian collusion investigation. He said he was looking forward to “having the privilege of being afforded a platform with which to give a full and credible account of the events which have transpired”.

‘Stop it cold’

While hinting at declaring a national emergency so he can bypass the Democrats and Congress to fund the wall yesterday, Trump said that only building more walls along the Mexican border could stop an onslaught of violent crime.

“They just go where there’s no security and you don’t even know the difference between Mexico and the United States,” he told a meeting of border patrol officers. “They have women tied up, they have tape over their mouths, electrical tape.”

“If we had a barrier of any kind, a powerful barrier, whether its steel or concrete…, we would stop it cold,” Trump said.

Opposition Democrats are refusing to approve $5.7 billion in wall funding, saying that overwhelming numbers of illegal immigrants do not commit serious crimes and that Trump is mainly promoting the project to satisfy his right-wing base.

Trump said that illegal immigrant crime stretched right up into the north of the country. However, widely respected studies show that illegal immigrants commit fewer crimes than people born in the United States.

Government shutdown goes on

That has resulted in a partial government shutdown now in its 20th day, with hundreds of thousands of federal employees — including air traffic controllers, the FBI and Coast Guard — going without pay.

Signalling he’s ready to maintain the game of brinksmanship, Trump tweeted on arrival in Texas that he will scrap a visit to the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, which runs from 21-25 January.

Trump had been expected to make a brief appearance at the influential get-together, attended by many world leaders, but said that opposition Democratic “intransigence” required him to stay home.

National emergency?

Trump said he was ready to expand the debate over funding for a border wall to some of the other issues surrounding the over-burdened US immigration system — a suggestion that could open the door to working with Democrats.

“I would like to do a much broader form of immigration,” he said in Texas.

But throughout the day, the frustrated president also repeated his threat to declare a national emergency and give himself authority to go around Congress if he can’t get approval for the wall.

Speaking to Fox News in an interview broadcast yesterday evening, Trump reiterated he had “the absolute right to declare a national emergency”.

But pressed on a timeline for doing so, he said he would “see what happens” over the coming days.

Analysts say the declaration would likely be challenged in court as a case of presidential overreach, in which case the wall still could face being blocked.

However, it would still give Trump political cover with his base by showing he’d done what he could. At that point, Trump could end the partial government shutdown and declare a win.

White House walkout

Trump, who revels in telling stories about his negotiating skills as a New York real estate magnate, has not managed to get the Democrats to budge on his demand for the $5.7 billion.

On Wednesday, he invited Democrat leaders to the White House, but walked out of the meeting.

“A total waste of time,” Trump tweeted. “I said bye-bye, nothing else works!”

Chuck Schumer, the top Democrat in the Senate, told journalists Trump “sort of slammed the table,” then “got up and walked out.”

“Again, we saw a temper tantrum because he couldn’t get his way,” Schumer said.

Trump disputed that Thursday, saying “I didn’t pound the table. That is a lie.”

“I don’t have temper tantrums,” he said.

Yesterday, US media reported the White House had asked the Army Corps of Engineers to look into the possibility of diverting funds allocated for relief projects in areas damaged by natural disasters, such as Puerto Rico and Florida.

© AFP 2019

Author
View 61 comments
Close
61 Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy here before taking part.
Leave a Comment
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Daniel Fontaine
    Favourite Daniel Fontaine
    Report
    Oct 24th 2016, 8:28 AM

    Delighted that the person was rescued.
    And that the infernal noise polluting machine found its way to the depths of the ocean.
    Good outcome all round.

    105
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Tom Collins
    Favourite Tom Collins
    Report
    Oct 24th 2016, 8:54 AM

    Christ the summer is over put it back in the shed

    56
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute brian boru
    Favourite brian boru
    Report
    Oct 24th 2016, 9:04 AM

    Jet skiers – idiots of the boating world ! Have rescued more of these adrift in Dublin bay then any other craft ! Always someone with no formal training or understanding about how to take a vessel to sea

    73
    See 1 more reply ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Lucille Ball
    Favourite Lucille Ball
    Report
    Oct 24th 2016, 1:20 PM

    @ Daniel.. agreed…

    10
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Ariana
    Favourite Ariana
    Report
    Oct 24th 2016, 8:39 AM

    Glad it ended well, but they shouldn’t have gone out on their own.

    48
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Kers Neil
    Favourite Kers Neil
    Report
    Oct 24th 2016, 9:23 AM

    @Ariana: I wouldnt have put put my dog out in that wind yesterday. It amazes my how people make decisions such as this. I saw a couple yesterday walking along the top of the prom wall at Clontarf. Whats wrong with the path?

    34
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Brendan Hughes
    Favourite Brendan Hughes
    Report
    Oct 24th 2016, 9:40 AM

    At least they had the good scense to tell someone they were going. Give them credit for that.

    24
    See 1 more reply ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Mr KnowitAll
    Favourite Mr KnowitAll
    Report
    Oct 24th 2016, 10:02 AM

    Terryglass in Tipperary is a great spot to go jet skiing. Cruise over to Portumna for a couple of pints and back again before dark.

    20
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Jimmy Murphy
    Favourite Jimmy Murphy
    Report
    Oct 24th 2016, 10:41 AM

    They’re not restricted by calendar dates and people have fun with them. Stop being so cynical, a person could have been lost here, thankfully that didn’t happen, he had a life jacket, someone obviously knew he was out there and well done to the emergency crew.

    38
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Ian Phillip Creaner
    Favourite Ian Phillip Creaner
    Report
    Oct 24th 2016, 10:25 AM

    They? Their? How many people?

    20
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Paddy Lions
    Favourite Paddy Lions
    Report
    Oct 24th 2016, 1:12 PM

    @Ian Phillip Creaner: It looks it was one person with many different personalities, a modern day Sybil.

    7
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute dearg doom
    Favourite dearg doom
    Report
    Oct 24th 2016, 1:32 PM

    The sea was awful yesterday, very surprised they ventured out.

    18
Submit a report
Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
Thank you for the feedback
Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.

Leave a commentcancel

 
JournalTv
News in 60 seconds