Trump speech: President accused of 'stoking fear' over border immigration as he demands wall funding to end 'crisis'
Mr Trump steers clear of declaring national emergency over border but Republicans and Democrats are no closer to deal to end shutdown
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Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump has told the American people that the US is facing a “humanitarian and security crisis” on its southern border during his first-ever prime time address from the Oval Office on Tuesday, as a nineteenth day of partial government shutdown loomed.
Mr Trump urged congressional Democrats to fund his long-promised border wall in the sombre televised address that was heavy with dark immigration rhetoric, which caused Democrats to accuse the president of “stoking fear”.
“How much more American blood must be shed before Congress does its job?” he said, recounting gruesome details of murders he said were committed by illegal immigrants.
But after days of hinting he might use presidential powers to declare an emergency as a first step toward directing money for the wall without congressional approval, Mr Trump said he would continue seeking a solution to the impasse with Congress.
Democrats have so far flat out rejected Mr Trump’s demand for $5.6bn (£4.4bn) to build the wall, and the budgetary showdown over that money has left 800,000 public sector staff either furloughed or working without pay until the issue is resolved.
All major US television networks aired Mr Trump’s speech, prompting Democrats, who say a wall would be expensive, inefficient and immoral, to seek equal time in an address directly after the president.
They used it to accuse the president of implementing fear tactics and spreading misinformation about the situation along the border.
“The president has chosen fear. We want to start with the facts,” said Nancy Pelosi, Democratic speaker of the House of Representatives.
“The fact is, President Trump has chosen to hold hostage critical services for the health, safety and well-being of the American people and withhold the paychecks of 800,000 innocent workers across the nation, many of them veterans,” she said.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday found that 51 per cent of adults mainly blamed Mr Trump for the shutdown, up four percentage points from late December, while 32 per cent blamed congressional Democrats and seven per cent faulted Republicans in Congress
Mr Trump has invited the congressional leadership from both parties to another meeting at the White House on Wednesday afternoon to try and break the deadlock. Mr Trump then travels to the border on Thursday.
To see how events unfolded, follow our liveblog below
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Reuters contributed to this report
Trump said former presidents told him they think the border wall is a good idea — they didn't, but Pence has the president's back anyway
Mr Pence leans in to listen to the president during an announcement at the White House
From the Associated Press:
Vice President Mike Pence says President Donald Trump’s recent claim that his predecessors endorsed his idea of a US-Mexico border wall was an “impression".
Mr Trump said Friday that some previous presidents “have told me that we should have done it".
The four living ex-presidents do not back Trump up on that claim. Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and George W Bush said they had not discussed the wall with Trump. Barack Obama’s office reiterated his opposition to the wall.
Mr Pence told NBC’s “Today” show on Tuesday, “I know the president has said that was his impression from previous presidents".
Mr Pence says he’s seen “clips of previous presidents talking about the importance of border security and the importance of addressing illegal immigration".
Mr Trump is scheduled to address the nation Tuesday night and lay out his case for the wall, which Democrats oppose. The government is in its third week of a partial shutdown over wall funding.
'This border crisis is all Trump's making, whether he says so or not'
Mr Trump did not inherit a border crisis from his predecessor, but he has managed to create one that suits his political needs, argues The Independent's Chris Stevenson.
Rashida Tlaib, the recently sworn in congresswoman criticised by Trump for saying she wanted to 'impeach the mother****er", has appeared on CNN to defend her comment and reveal she's backed a Democratic bill that would reopen parts of the government.
"The only person disgracing the office of the president is the president himself,” she said.
California's Joshua Tree National Park, which shuttered campgrounds due to sanitation and safety concerns as a result of the will temporarily close from Thursday, CNN said (Getty)
We are now about 15 minutes away from Mr Trump's address to the nation.
The president will urge Democrats to come back to the negotiating table to re-open the government and address the “crisis” at the border in his prime-time speech tonight, according to CNN, who are quoting a GOP source familiar with the address.
While we might have been expecting Mr Trump to declare a national emergency on the border tonight, it appears he has been told by aides that a declaration just would not work from a legal standpoint.
Any such move would no doubt be challenged in the courts.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer just tweeted a montage of President Trump telling supporters Mexico will pay for the border wall.
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