South Lawn
2:47 P.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: You haven’t had enough. You haven’t had enough.
Q (Inaudible) Pelosi and Schumer today, sir?
THE PRESIDENT: So, we’ve been in touch with a lot of people, and I informed my folks to say that we’ll build a steel barrier. Steel. It’ll be made out of steel. It’ll be less obtrusive, and it’ll be stronger. But it’ll be less obtrusive, stronger, and we’re able to use our great companies to make it, by using steel.
So we’re going to be doing a steel barrier, and that gives us great strength at the border.
Q (Inaudible) DACA at all?
THE PRESIDENT: I would consider DACA, but I think we’d complicate it. I’d rather have the Supreme Court rule and then work with the Democrats on DACA. I want to help with DACA, but I’d rather have — because, you know, it’s going to be before the Supreme Court very soon. And rather than doing something with DACA — now, frankly, I’d rather work with the Democrats. Let the Supreme Court rule first.
Q (Inaudible) calling it a national emergency. (Inaudible)?
THE PRESIDENT: No, we’re looking at a national emergency, because we have a national emergency. Just read the papers. We have a crisis at the border of drugs, of human beings being trafficked all over the world. They’re coming through. And we have an absolute crisis, and of criminals and gang members coming through. It is national security. It’s a national emergency.
Q (Inaudible.)
THE PRESIDENT: We’ll be letting you know fairly soon.
Q If you were to declare a national emergency, how would you pay for the wall? Where would the money come from?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, we have a lot of different ways. I’m not going to get into that. I’m just saying, we are looking at it very strongly, but hopefully we can do it this way. And as I told you, it’s going to be a steel border, and that’s going to give us great strength.
Q Why do you think the Democrats would agree to a steel border?
THE PRESIDENT: They don’t like concrete, so we’ll give them steel. Steel is fine. Steel is actually — steel is actually more expensive than concrete, but it will look beautiful and it’s very strong. It’s actually stronger.
Q You said government workers will make an adjustment if (inaudible).
THE PRESIDENT: I think they will make an adjustment because they want to see the border taken care of. You know, government workers want to see the border taken care of. It affects them very dearly.
Q But most of them make $500 a week. (Inaudible) to make an adjustment.
THE PRESIDENT: They love our country, and they want to make sure that we have a strong border.
Q (Inaudible) most of them are Democrats, sir?
THE PRESIDENT: Say it?
Q You’re saying that most of the people are Democrats (inaudible).
THE PRESIDENT: I don’t know if Democrats or not. Probably, in this case, a lot of them are Democrats. You have a lot of Republicans too. But regardless — I mean, that’s the way it is. Those people are great Americans. They’re great patriots. They want to make sure we have a strong border. Very important.
Q (Inaudible.)
THE PRESIDENT: Well, we’re looking at everything.
Q What do you say to Americans who (inaudible)?
THE PRESIDENT: It’ll all work out. What we need is we need a strong border. We have criminals coming in. We have human traffickers coming in. We have drugs pouring in. We have things happening that you don’t want to even know about. And it’s been that way for decades, and we can’t have it anymore. And because of the strength of our economy — the stronger it is — it’s probably the greatest economy we’ve ever had. And because of that, it’s happening even more so. We have to stop it.
Thank you, everybody. Have a good day. Thank you.
END 2:51 P.M. EST
