Trump wall: President denies changing view on Mexico border plan

  • Published
Media caption,

Testing began in December on President Trump's border wall prototypes

Donald Trump has denied changing his views on a border wall after his top aide reportedly said the president was "uninformed" when he made the promise.

White House chief of staff John Kelly told Fox News the president's opinions had evolved since his signature campaign pledge on the US-Mexico wall.

Hours later, the president tweeted to say Mexico would still "directly or indirectly" pay for the wall.

Mexico's foreign ministry said Thursday morning that the country would not pay.

They also pushed back against Mr Trump's claim that Mexico is the "most dangerous country in the world".

"Even though Mexico has a significant problem with violence, it is plainly false that Mexico is the most dangerous country in the world," the ministry said.

US media report that the White House chief of staff told members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus on Wednesday that the US would never construct a wall along its entire southern border.

Mr Kelly also reportedly said Mexico would never pay for the structure, as Mr Trump has repeatedly vowed.

"Campaigning is very different from governing," Mr Kelly said on Wednesday, of Mr Trump's former promise.

But speaking to Fox News later the retired general insisted the president was committed to building 700 miles (1,100km) of additional wall along the nearly 2,000-mile border.

Last year Mr Trump said his wall would cover 1,000 miles with natural obstacles taking care of the rest.

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
John Kelly (L) was appointed as President Trump's chief of staff in July

When Fox News asked Mr Kelly if he had called the president "uninformed", he did not deny it.

Both the president and his chief of staff cited the estimated cost as $20bn (£14bn); Mr Trump had originally put the figure at $10-$12bn.

Mr Kelly said they were now looking at alternative ways to raise funds, including via possible visa fees or renegotiating the Nafta trade deal between the US, Canada and Mexico.

In Thursday morning's tweet, President Trump insisted Mexico would still pick up the costs, possibly "through longer term reimbursement".

This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Twitter
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip twitter post by Donald J. Trump

Allow Twitter content?

This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of twitter post by Donald J. Trump
This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Twitter
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip twitter post by Donald J. Trump

Allow Twitter content?

This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of twitter post by Donald J. Trump

Read more on Trump's first year

Media caption,

The missing - consequences of Trump's immigration crackdown

Media caption,

What Republican delegates said about Trump's wall before the election