U.S. President Donald Trump denies that his views of the border wall between American and Mexico have changed — despite his chief of staff saying the contrary.
On Wednesday evening, White House chief of staff John Kelly told Fox News that all politicians take campaign positions that “may or may not be fully informed” and Trump has changed the way he’s looked at “a number of things,” including the wall.
“There are places where hydro-graphically, geographically, where a wall would not be realistic,” Kelly said. “There are other parts of the southwest border that are so wild and untamed that there is no traffic that goes through them.”
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Kelly added that there are places where “fencing” would suffice.
Trump responded to the claims Thursday morning, tweeting that plans for the wall have not changed.
In the interview with Fox News, Kelly added that Mexico will not directly fund the wall, but they are now looking at alternative ways to raise funds for it, such as possible visa fees or renegotiation of NAFTA trade deal.
Trump has previously insisted that Mexico will pay for the wall, which is expected to cost around US$20 billion and span 3,200 km. Since taking office, he has acknowledged there were geographical barriers, such as mountains and rivers along the border where a wall would not be necessary.
In his tweet, Trump said he still expected Mexico to pick up the costs, possibly “through longer-term reimbursement.”