Trump says he does not believe white nationalism is rising after signing first veto

Follow the latest updates

Trump threatens veto if congress votes against border emergency

Donald Trump signed the first veto of his presidency after the Senate‘s decision to vote 59-41 in favour of a resolution expressing disapproval at his national emergency declaration over the illegal immigration “crisis” at the southern border.

In a major embarrassment for the president, 12 Republicans voted against his invocation of emergency powers to get his signature US-Mexico border wall built, bringing the resolution to his desk and forcing him to exercise his powers of office to block it. Mr Trump then claimed there was an “invasion” at the border and vetoed the resolution.

Despite the veto, the president’s emergency declaration still faces numerous legal challenges, with cases arguing it was unconstitutional.

American Civil Liberties Union, which filed one of the cases, said the veto was meaningless. “Congress has rejected the president’s declaration, and now the courts will be the ultimate arbiter of its legality,” said executive director Anthony Romero. “We look forward to seeing him in court and to the shellacking that he will receive at the hands of an independent judiciary.”

Meanwhile, top officials from Donald Trump’s administration failed to describe the terrorist attacks on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, as acts of terror, including his vice president, White House press secretary, ambassador to New Zealand and more.

When asked during the Oval Office address whether he saw an increase in white nationalism, Mr Trump said: “I don’t really. I think it’s a small group of people.”

He also said he had not seen a manifesto in which the suspected gunman denounced immigrants and praised Mr Trump as “a symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose”.

At least 49 people were killed with dozens more seriously injured after shootings at two mosques in Christchurch. The suspected attacker, Brenton Tarrant, live-streamed the attack and outlined his anti-immigrant motives in a manifesto posted online.

Please allow a moment for our liveblog to load

Key Points

• President vetoes national emergency resolution after Senate vote
• Trump expresses sympathy after mass shooting in New Zealand
• New York judge says Trump 'not above the law'
• Top White House officials fail to call massacre an act of terror

[15 March 2019 19:10 · Chris Riotta]

The president is expected to sign a veto on live-television any moment now in a rare televised event after the US Senate voted to rebuke his national emergency declaration towards the US-Mexico border.

[15 March 2019 19:20 · Chris Riotta]

Donald Trump has tweeted again about the New Zealand terror attacks ahead of his Oval Office televised appearance, and once again failed to describe the massacre as an act of terror. 

[15 March 2019 19:27 · Chris Riotta]

Here's the rest of the president's Twitter message after speaking with the prime minister of New Zealand: 

[15 March 2019 19:41 · Chris Riotta]

Donald Trump is announcing he will sign the veto to block the US Senate resolution rebuking his national emergency declaration:

[15 March 2019 19:43 · Chris Riotta]

Donald Trump referring to the US-Mexico border situation as an "invasion" is nothing new -- but certainly misleading. His own administration has reported annual declines in illegal immigration across the nation's southern border, and the president famously said he "didn't need to" invoke a national emergency when announcing it earlier this year.

[15 March 2019 19:50 · Chris Riotta]

It appears as though the president failed to call the New Zealand terrorist attacks an act of terror during his media availability this afternoon before signing the first veto of his presidency:

[15 March 2019 19:55 · Chris Riotta]

To be clear, the president's veto for the resolution blocking his national emergency declaration will force the US House of Representatives to take up a vote over whether or not to override his veto. 

Though it's unlikely, the House requires 290 votes in order to override Donald Trump's veto. 

[15 March 2019 19:57 · Chris Riotta]

If, in the unlikely case, the US House of Representatives successfully votes to override Donald Trump's veto, the resolution blocking his national emergency declaration would make it's way back to the US Senate.

[15 March 2019 20:01 · Chris Riotta]

Despite human and civil rights groups documenting spikes in white nationalism and extremism under Donald Trump, the president claimed he doesn't those becoming increasing issues:

[15 March 2019 20:05 · Chris Riotta]

Here's more from The Independent's Andrew Buncombe on the first veto of Donald Trump's presidency: