Trump says wall may not need to cover entire U.S.-Mexico border

[webfact]

Trump says wall may not need to cover entire U.S.-Mexico border

By Ayesha Rascoe

 

U.S. President Donald Trump reacts as he attends a joint news conference with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, July 13, 2017. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes

 

PARIS (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said the wall he wants to build on the 2,000-mile (3,200-km) U.S.-Mexico frontier may not need to cover the entire border because of existing natural barriers, according to remarks released by the White House on Thursday.

 

On a flight to Paris from Washington, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One: "You have mountains. You have some rivers that are violent and vicious. You have some areas that are so far away that you don't really have people crossing.

 

"But you'll need anywhere from 700 to 900 miles."

 

Trump also told reporters on the plane it was important that border agents and others should be able to see through the wall so they could be aware of oncoming dangers.

 

"As horrible as it sounds, when they throw the large sacks of drugs over, and if you have people on the other side of the wall, you don't see them. They hit you on the head with 60 pounds of stuff? It's over," Trump said.

 

One of Trump's major 2016 campaign promises was to build a border wall to fight illegal immigration. His vow that Mexico would pay for the wall, which the Mexican government has insisted it will not do, has strained relations between the two neighbours.

 

Trump has since said he will find a way for Mexico to repay the United States for construction of the wall but that Congress would need to fund it first.

 

But almost six months into his presidency, he has so far asked Congress for only $1.6 billion for a project estimated to cost more than $20 billion.

The border, which stretches across four U.S. states, already has 600 miles (965 km) of barriers, including fences and walls.

 

Republicans on the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee introduced a bill on Tuesday that funded the $1.6 billion request, but Senate Democrats are likely to oppose it.

 

(Writing by Julia Edwards Ainsley; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and Peter Cooney)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-07-14

[Andaman Al]

41 minutes ago, webfact said:

Trump also told reporters on the plane it was important that border agents and others should be able to see through the wall so they could be aware of oncoming dangers.

 

"As horrible as it sounds, when they throw the large sacks of drugs over, and if you have people on the other side of the wall, you don't see them. They hit you on the head with 60 pounds of stuff? It's over," Trump said.

So it needs to be a 'fence' to 'see through'! and only 700-900 miles out of 2000. He is making it up as he goes along.

 

Either that's a very short wall to be able to throw '60 pound sacks over' or the people doing the throwing should be immediately recruited to represent Mexico or the US in the Olympics. And in a wall (fence) 900 miles long Trump wants the wall 'see through' because he thinks if drug runners throw large bags of drugs over they may hit someone on the other side!! Trump is as mad as a bucket of spiders.

Edited July 13, 2017 by Andaman Al

[craigt3365]

35 minutes ago, Andaman Al said:

So it needs to be a 'fence' to 'see through'! and only 700-900 miles out of 2000. He is making it up as he goes along.

 

Either that's a very short wall to be able to throw '60 pound sacks over' or the people doing the throwing should be immediately recruited to represent Mexico or the US in the Olympics. And in a wall (fence) 900 miles long Trump wants the wall 'see through' because he thinks if drug runners throw large bags of drugs over they may hit someone on the other side!! Trump is as mad as a bucket of spiders.

Come on!  At least he beat Hillary! LOL  Who cares about campaign promises.

[darksidedog]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

"But you'll need anywhere from 700 to 900 miles."

The whole thing might be a bit more credible if it could be shown that at least some research has been put into it. He doesn't know how long it will be, so there is no way to actually work out the cost. He wants it see through!  I cant wait to hear how that is going to happen. Every time he discusses it he just sounds more and more detached from reality. I am dying to hear what supposedly cunning plan he is going to come up with to persuade the Mexicans to pay though.

[iReason]

"On a flight to Paris from Washington, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One:

"You have mountains. You have some rivers that are violent and vicious.

You have some areas that are so far away that you don't really have people crossing."

 

 

Just learned all those facts after a year of this:

 

 

Japan? 

 

 

A big beautiful door?

 

 

"Someday they'll name it after me"

 

 

"In the sun and heat. My idea."

 

What a loon...

 

 

Edited July 14, 2017 by iReason

[boomerangutang]

How many contradictions have come out of Trump's mouth/tweets about the wall?  112?  273?

Trump should take one baseball bat and put a nail sticking out of it.  It will have about as much protective effect. 

[tonray]

I'm already exhausted from so much winning.

[edwinchester]

Serial liar and the sad fact is that millions of supporters still buy into those lies.

[craigt3365]

6 minutes ago, tonray said:

I'm already exhausted from so much winning.

Agreed!  Trump should stop talking and tweeting. LOL

[ilostmypassword]

"Trump also told reporters on the plane it was important that border agents and others should be able to see through the wall so they could be aware of oncoming dangers.

 

"As horrible as it sounds, when they throw the large sacks of drugs over, and if you have people on the other side of the wall, you don't see them. They hit you on the head with 60 pounds of stuff? It's over," Trump said."

 

And don't forget the anti-meteorite helmets either!

[helpisgood]

I recall that White House presser when Spicer was showing different photos of proposed designs of the wall.  This resulted with Spicer arguing with reporters as to whether the proposed "wall" was really just a fence and not what Trump had originally promised. 

 

 

Now, the "beautiful wall" will be shorter in length. 

 

I expect Trump to backpedal to the point where he'll propose that Lego gets the contract for the wall. 

Edited July 14, 2017 by helpisgood
grammar

[ballpoint]

He's learning.  Already he's expanded his vocabulary of words starting with "V" from repeatedly saying "very" to now add "violent" and "vicious".  I wonder where he overheard those words?  Let's see how long it is before he starts combinations:  "Very violent.  Very, very, violent. Violent and vicious. Very violent and very, very, vicious..."  I'd venture that vacuous, vacillating, vulgar, vacant and vulture are some of the other "V" words he keeps overhearing, and await their use in further Trumpbursts.

[pegman]

Wasn't it just last month that he was selling some solar aspect was going to pay for it?

[iReason]

1 hour ago, pegman said:

Wasn't it just last month that he was selling some solar aspect was going to pay for it?

 

He has been selling snake oil since he announced his candidacy...

[alanrchase]

Why are three companies being paid to build prototypes of the concrete wall specified by DHS when Trump says the wall needs to be see through?

[tandor]

4 hours ago, Andaman Al said:

So it needs to be a 'fence' to 'see through'! and only 700-900 miles out of 2000. He is making it up as he goes along.

 

Either that's a very short wall to be able to throw '60 pound sacks over' or the people doing the throwing should be immediately recruited to represent Mexico or the US in the Olympics. And in a wall (fence) 900 miles long Trump wants the wall 'see through' because he thinks if drug runners throw large bags of drugs over they may hit someone on the other side!! Trump is as mad as a bucket of spiders.

...gives all the other psychotic leaders something to laugh at.

[nasanews]

There will be no new wall Mr. president so, please quit lying.  As for drug smuggling ask the CIA who brings drugs into America? I bet you will be amazed if ever find out.

[craigt3365]

10 minutes ago, nasanews said:

There will be no new wall Mr. president so, please quit lying.  As for drug smuggling ask the CIA who brings drugs into America? I bet you will be amazed if ever find out.

Right.  CIA #1 drug smuggler for the US. Too funny.

[Wise One]

Sadly we have lost some of the great circuses of the world such as Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey.  In their place we now have the White House with Trump imitating Popov the Clown.  Whoops, just realised Popov was from the Moscow Circus.

[transam]

Hmmmm, reminds me of The Maginot Line way of thinking...What a success that was...

[IAMHERE]

"So it needs to be a 'fence' to 'see through'! and only 700-900 miles out of 2000. He is making it up as he goes along."

The POTUS is flexible, probably a good thing.

[Foozool]

Perhaps it will end up to higher wall only around White House. ???

Trump tower as well. ???

Edited July 14, 2017 by Foozool

[iReason]

8 minutes ago, Foozool said:

Perhaps need more higher wall around the White House. ???

It's a start...

[ddavidovsky]

So I'm the only one who knew what Trump meant when he talked about the wall? Was I really the only one to understand both the nature of the rhetoric employed in harnessing popular feeling, and the fact that wall in practice was never going to cover the whole length of the border, for obvious reasons.

 

It's an extension of the existing wall. If you agree with the existing wall - those who would like to see the whole border opened up should speak up now - then you have to agree with the principle of making the border less permeable this way.

[puck2]

33 minutes ago, IAMHERE said:

"So it needs to be a 'fence' to 'see through'! and only 700-900 miles out of 2000. He is making it up as he goes along."

The POTUS is flexible, probably a good thing.

Yes, he is very, very flexible ...... concerning promises and reliability.  Some intelligent people call it lying or mucking around.

  The "Mexican wall" is only one example.

But this time it seems to have a rarely positive side effect.

 

[iReason]

9 minutes ago, ddavidovsky said:

So I'm the only one who knew what Trump meant when he talked about the wall?

Was I really the only one to understand both the nature of the rhetoric employed in harnessing popular feeling, and the fact that wall in practice was never going to cover the whole length of the border, for obvious reasons.

 

Please see post #5.

 

Perhaps you should have been advising him...

 

[heybruce]

4 hours ago, pegman said:

Wasn't it just last month that he was selling some solar aspect was going to pay for it?

Transparent solar panels so border guards can see through them? 

 

Ok, we'll put solar panels on the long list of things Trump needs to understand.

[ddavidovsky]

1 minute ago, iReason said:

 

Please see post #5.

 

Perhaps you should have been advising him...

 

Seems you still don't get it. He talks big for rhetorical effect. It worked.

I don't dispute the fact that he's an idiot. But he wasn't elected for his IQ - brainiacs are ten-a-penny - but for his position on certain issues.

 

For all those scoffing about the wall issue, here's some assistance:

- try not to think of it literally as a 'wall'. That may be the problem that most people are having. It's a fence.

- acknowledge that the border has long been fenced in the most permeable places.

- acknowledge (this takes some psychology) that even just talking about a wall is calculated to send a stern message to wannabe illegal immigrants.

Now please explain your solution for preventing hordes swarming freely across the border? If you don't have one, don't bother replying.

[heybruce]

Six months in office and he finally understands that people willing to cross mountains and deserts (and swamps and jungles if they're coming from Central America) will not be deterred by a wall. 

 

Do you think he figured this out on his own or was someone finally able to explain this to him?

[iReason]

5 minutes ago, ddavidovsky said:

Seems you still don't get it. He talks big for rhetorical effect.

 

Perhaps you don't get it.

 

He talks big on everything.

 

And achieves nothing.

 

"hordes swarming" ?

 

Hyperbolic nonsense.