Donald Trump Hails 'Just Built' Border Wall, But Uses Months-Old Footage
President Donald Trump said in tweets this week that work is being done to build his proposed U.S.-Mexico border wall ― but he used months-old footage of repairs on existing parts of the barrier in an effort to support his claims.
“We have just built this powerful Wall in New Mexico,” Trump tweeted Wednesday with a video showing workers and construction vehicles at the border. He said that portion of the wall had been completed on Jan. 30, some 47 days ahead of schedule, and that “many miles more” currently were being built.
We have just built this powerful Wall in New Mexico. Completed on January 30, 2019 – 47 days ahead of schedule! Many miles more now under construction! #FinishTheWall pic.twitter.com/TYkj3KRdOC
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 20, 2019
Trump retweeted the post on Thursday and added an all-caps caption saying the wall was under construction.
THE WALL IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION RIGHT NOW! https://t.co/exUJCiITsz
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 21, 2019
However, it’s not true that the wall featured in the video had been “just built.”
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, whose logo appears in the bottom corner of the video Trump shared, actually produced the clip in September 2018, a spokesperson told veterans news website Task & Purpose. It shows “a replacement project” for a section of a barrier that was in place before Trump assumed office.
Trump has declared a national emergency in an attempt to secure money for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
MSNBC’s Brian Williams also noted the discrepancy of Trump’s claim and the reality of the situation on Thursday’s broadcast of “The 11th Hour.”
President Trump tweeted a time-lapse video of work along the border wall in New Mexico: "Many miles more now under construction."
Brian Williams fact-checks President Trump's claim https://t.co/IuGsbUf57S pic.twitter.com/kEvnoB9yo9— MSNBC (@MSNBC) February 21, 2019
However, it is true that the construction work on the section of the wall featured in the video was completed on Jan. 30 and ahead of schedule, according to Vox.
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