WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump said Tuesday he wants to use the military to secure the U.S.-Mexico border until his promised border wall is built.
Speaking at a lunch with Baltic leaders, Trump said he’d already discussed the idea with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.
“We are going to be guarding our border with the military,” Trump said, calling the measure a “big step.”
Trump has been deeply frustrated about the lack of progress building what was the signature promise of his campaign: a “big, beautiful wall” along the Mexican border. He’s previously suggested using the Pentagon’s budget to pay for building the wall, arguing it is a national security priority, despite strict rules that prohibit spending that’s not authorized by Congress.
The Department of Homeland Security, Pentagon and White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment on how such a plan might work.