Trump doubles down on declaring national emergency: 'The law is on my side'

Speaking with Sean Hannity in Mission, Texas, Donald Trump doubled down on a statement he made earlier in the day saying he’s likely to declare a national emergency in an effort to get funding for the wall he promised along the southern border. With some of his closest allies pressing him to do just that, on Thursday night, it appeared more and more likely to happen. “If we don’t make a deal with congress, most likely I will do that,” Trump said. “I would actually say I would. I can’t imagine any reason why not because I’m allowed to do it. The law is on my side.” Later, Trump went on to say, “The law is very clear. We have the absolute right to declare a national emergency. This is security stuff. This is a national emergency if you look at what’s happening.”

Trump can expect multiple legal battles before getting the 5.7 billion dollars he wants for the wall, and some believe that’s exactly what the Trump team wants because it will allow him to save face while effectively ending the government shutdown. Trump did not have a clear answer for when he may make the declaration. When asked about his timeline, Trump replied, “I think we’re gonna see what happens over the next few days.