President Trump, as he left the White House Thursday for a visit to the U.S.-Mexico border, escalated his warnings that he could declare a national emergency to pursue his long-promised wall if he cannot reach a deal with Congress to fund border security and resolve the partial government shutdown.
The president told reporters on the White House lawn that he has an “absolute right” to declare a national emergency, as the government enters day 20 of the partial shutdown.
“I have the absolute right to declare a national emergency, the lawyers have so advised me,” Trump said. “I’m not prepared to do that yet, but if I have to, I will.”
He added: “If this doesn’t work out, probably, I will do it. I would almost say, definitely. This is a national emergency. … If we don’t make a deal, I would say it would be very surprising to me that I would not declare a national emergency.”
The president repeatedly has threatened to declare an emergency and may use the visit to the border Thursday as part of his decision-making process. The National Emergencies Act grants the president broad authority to declare emergencies, though such a declaration would almost certainly face legal challenges. – READ MORE