Lazaro Gamio / Axios
At a rally in Phoenix on Monday night, President Trump said he'd build the border wall even "if we have to close down our government."
Why it matters: This is a new development in how Trump plans to ensure the wall gets built. The wall was central to Trump's campaign and a key point for his supporters. Here's how his plans for it have shifted over time:
Photo: Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images
President Trump has successfully built an immigration wall that has proven impenetrable for tens of thousands of migrants — it's just not the physical one he and others obsess about.
What's happening: The number of attempted border crossings is falling, and denial rates are climbing. The very nations most migrants flee from are now the nations where asylum seekers are being sent.
Photo: John Moore/Getty Images
The Trump administration announced on Friday it completed the first 100 miles of barrier wall along the southwest border.
What he's saying: From Yuma, Arizona, Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf touted the new 30-foot wall and responded to critics who claim it only replaces previously existing fencing. "We have replaced 1970s-era landing mat fence that was easy to compromise, or vehicle barriers that were easy to defeat, with state-of-the-art infrastructure and detection capabilities," Wolf said.
President Trump stands in a prayer circle with faith leaders during a Evangelicals for Trump campaign event in Miami. Photo: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images
President Trump received an ovation from a crowd at a predominantly Hispanic megachurch where he touted his immigration policies and southern border wall during the launch of a new coalition, "Evangelicals for Trump," on Friday in Miami, the Washington Post reports.
Why it matters: "Trump’s decision to launch the new group at one of the largest Latino evangelical churches in the nation was 'without a doubt' a reaction to" an op-ed Christianity Today released calling for the president's impeachment, the Post writes. Trump is counting on a strong evangelical vote in 2020, and his re-election campaign expects Evangelicals for Trump to expand before then.