Watch: Trump Wants ‘Groundbreaking’ Ceremony for Border Wall Next Year

President Trump says he wants to hold a “groundbreaking” style ceremony at the end of January to celebrate the construction of bollard fencing along the United States-Mexico border.

In a press briefing in the Oval Office on Christmas day, Trump said he planned to go to the southern border at the end of January next year to celebrate what he calls the construction of his proposed “great wall” — a collection of new bollard fencing and replacement fencing.

“It’s a 2,000-mile border but much of it has mountains and region where you can’t get across,” Trump said. “So we’re looking at between 500 and 550 [miles], so we gave out 115 [miles] yesterday. And we gave it out at a great price. We’re going to have a great wall there and we have other sections to give out.”

It remains unclear what Department of Homeland Security (DHS) contract Trump is referring to when he mentions the 115-mile border construction contract.

“We’ve renovated massive amounts of very good wall — wall that was good, but that was in bad shape,” Trump continued. “So you don’t have to replace it, but you have to renovate it. And we’ve renovated a massive amount of wall. And in addition to that, and I think very, very importantly, we built a lot of new wall. So it’s all being built. The new piece, the new section is very, very exciting, what’s going on there.”

“And you’ll see it because in January I’m going there,” Trump said. “We’re almost having a groundbreaking – it’s such a big section. It’s probably the biggest section we’ll get out. So while we’re fighting over funding, we’re also building.”

Trump said he wanted to have all construction of the bollard fence and replacement fencing finished by the time the 2020 presidential election rolls around, giving him less than two years to get the project finished.

“It’s my hope to have this done, completed all 500 to 550 miles, to have it either renovated or brand new, by election time,” Trump said.

The federal government has been shut down for nearly a week as House and Senate Democrats refuse to support any funding for a border wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, despite supporting such border projects in the recent past under Presidents Bush and Obama, Breitbart News reported.