Day 757: It only took a few hours for Trump to kneecap his own border wall national emergency declaration

Donald Trump created a political firestorm when the White House announced Thursday that he would declare a national emergency to go around Congress to get $8 billion in border wall funds.

As detailed yesterday, Trump will likely face a challenge from Congress to overrule the declaration, putting Republicans in a sticky situation. He’s also certain to face a legal challenge, where the facts, as well as Trump’s own words and actions, will be explored to determine the legality of the decision.

It didn’t take long for Trump to give his opposition ample evidence that a wall isn’t necessary.

Just a few hours after the White House’s announcement, actually. (And technically before the executive order was even signed.)

In a Rose Garden address Friday morning, Trump made a damning admission: That he “could do the wall over a longer period of time” and that he “didn’t need to do this, but I’d rather do it much faster.”

By admitting a wall wasn’t immediately necessary, but rather a preference, it undercuts his own argument that there is an emergency border crisis.

Many of his previous statements will hurt his position too.

These types of proclamations —often where hubris meets ignorance — will be used against him in court when the national emergency declaration is inevitably challenged.

757 days in, 705 to go

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