President Donald Trump repeated his promise to make Mexico pay for his long promised wall on the Southern border, vowing that they would pay “one way or another.”
“Ultimately Mexico will pay for the wall,” Trump said. “It may be through reimbursement but one way or another, Mexico will pay for the wall.”
Trump made his remarks during a press conference with the president of Finland at the White House. He admitted the wall would need initial funding from the United States government, but that Mexico would reimburse the costs.
He reminded reporters that he was still committed to renegotiating NAFTA, calling it a “sweetheart deal” for Mexico and “one of the worst trade deals ever signed” for America.
“I can understand why Mexico is being difficult,” Trump said. “Because why wouldn’t they be? They’ve had it their way.”
“We need the wall very badly,” Trump added, citing Mexico’s “tremendous crime problem” and “tremendous drugs” crossing the Southern border.
“The wall will stop much of the drugs from pouring into this country and poisoning our youth,” he said.
He defended his threat of a government shutdown if Congress failed to fund the wall in the fall.
“We’ll have to see, but I hope that’s not necessary,” Trump said. “The wall is needed from the standpoint of security.”