Trump vows to wait as long as it takes for wall funding

US President Donald Trump has vowed to wait as long as it takes to get $5 billion from taxpayers for a wall on the US-Mexico border, a demand that has triggered a partial shutdown of the federal government that is now in its sixth day.

With no immediate end to the government shutdown in sight, the Republican president made his remarks on Wednesday during a surprise visit to Iraq and blamed the shutdown on Democratic Party congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, who was expected to become speaker of the US House of Representatives on January 3.

“The American public is demanding a wall,” Trump said while on the ground at Al Asad Air Base in west of Baghdad.

Trump had previously said he was prepared for a lengthy shutdown and when asked on Wednesday how long he would wait to get what he wants, he said, “Whatever it takes.”

“Nancy is calling the shots,” Trump said, claiming that her opposition to his demand for funding a border wall had to do with Pelosi’s need for votes to become House speaker.

During a televised meeting on December 11 with Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, Trump had said he would be “proud to shut down the government for border security” but has since shifted the blame to Democrats.

PressTV-Trump: Shutdown will not end until wall funded

US President Donald Trump says government shutdown will continue unless his demand for building a border wall with Mexico is met.

During his 2016 election campaign, Trump repeatedly promised Mexico would pay for his proposed wall. After Mexico repeatedly refused to do so, he began seeking US taxpayer funding for the wall, which he sees as essential to curbing illegal immigration from Mexico and Central America.

Improved border security was a top-three priority for only about 31 percent of Americans, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll in November.

Even with both chambers of Congress and the White House under Republican control for the past two years, former real estate developer Trump has not gained full funding for his wall.

Democrats and some Republicans in Congress view it as a costly, unneeded and ineffective project, but some Republicans support the idea and back Trump’s demand for $5 billion in partial funding.

Following weeks of failed talks between Trump and congressional leaders, parts of the US government shut down on Saturday, affecting about 800,000 employees of the Departments of Homeland Security, Transportation and other agencies.

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