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Trump to ‘address the nation’ on border row Tuesday

US President Donald J. Trump speaks to the media upon his return to the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 06 January 2018. Trump returned from a day trip to Camp David. EPA-EFE/CHRIS KLEPONIS / POOL

President Donald Trump announced he will "address the nation" Tuesday on his demand for a Mexico border wall that he says is needed to shut out dangerous illegal immigration.

Trump, who is battling Democrats in Congress over funding for the wall project, tweeted that the speech would be made at 9 pm (0200 GMT Wednesday) on what he called “the Humanitarian and National Security crisis on our Southern Border.”

The primetime speech will come two days before Trump makes a rare trip down to the Mexican border to push his controversial plan.

Trump has made building a wall the central theme of his domestic policies, painting the border as an open gate for criminals, including rapists, terrorists and phony asylum seekers.

The idea is popular with his hardcore voter base. However, Democrats, who now control the lower house of Congress, say that the “crisis” is overblown by Trump and that the wall is a political stunt not worth taxpayer money. DM

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