Photo: Evan Vucci / AP
President Trump told reporters Thursday that he won't "do anything" regarding DACA unless the border wall becomes a reality, not necessarily in the legislation he's discussing with Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer to replace DACA, but at some point in the future:
- "Very important is the wall. We have to be sure the wall isn't obstructed because without the wall I wouldn't do anything... It doesn't have to be here but they can't obstruct the wall if its in a budget or anything else."
- "We're not looking at citizenship. We're not looking at amnesty. We're looking at allowing people to stay here... I just spoke with Paul Ryan, everybody's on board."
Why it matters: Trump, who two hours ago said "the wall will come later," is pulling back on his earlier comments in an effort to appease his base, who have been ripping him apart for agreeing to this DACA framework.
More from Trump"We'll only do it if we get extreme security, not only surveillance but everything that goes with surveillance. If there's not a wall, we're doing nothing.""There was no deal and they didn't say they had a deal. in fact they just put out a statement and they didnt say that at all."Chuck Schumer"We all agreed on the framework... details will matter, but [the dinner] was a very, very positive step" to have Trump agree to seek legal protections for Dreamers."If you listen to the president's comments this morning... what Leader Pelosi and I put out last night is exactly accurate.More on the wall: "The president made clear he intends to pursue it at a later time. And we made clear we'd continue to oppose it... [the wall is] a medieval solution for a modern problem. A Game of Thrones idea for a world that is a lot closer to Star Wars."Nancy Pelosi "We agreed to a plan to work out an agreement to protect our nation's Dreamers from deportation... we would review border security measures that do not include building a wall."On the DREAM Act and path to citizenship: "We agreed on our path."Mitch McConnell "As Congress debates the best ways to address illegal immigration through strong border security... DACA should be part of those discussions.""We look forward to receiving the Trump administration's legislative proposal."Background: The president called the Leader this morning to discuss the need for strong security measures and the need to address DACA.