Donald Trump doesn’t want a ‘concrete wall,’ he wants ‘artistically designed steel slats’

U.S. President Donald Trump brought some clarity to what he wants out of a wall along America’s southern border with Mexico on Tuesday.

He doesn’t want a concrete wall, he tweeted.

Instead, the president wants “artistically designed steel slats, so that you can easily see through it.”

Trump went on to say the wall would be “beautiful.”

The tweet came as Trump looked to secure $5 billion to build a border wall and avoid a partial government shutdown that could go into effect on Friday at midnight.

The threat of a shutdown appeared to loom on Tuesday as White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders indicated that the president doesn’t wish for a shutdown and that he’s willing to consider other options.

WATCH: Coverage of Donald Trump’s call for a border wall on Globalnews.ca

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This came one day after little progress appeared to have been made, as Trump met with confidantes and faced down members of Congress who didn’t want to support $5 billion in spending.

Democrats had offered to maintain the current funding of $1.3 billion, which would cover fencing and improvements along the border, but would not support a wall.

READ MORE: Donald Trump meets with aides as partial government shutdown looms

In the meantime, others in Washington have worked to ensure that the government keeps operating as Christmas approaches.

Sen. Richard Shelby, chair of the Appropriations Committee, said Tuesday his office was working on legislation that could keep the government open until February.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday was confident about avoiding a shutdown, saying Congress could approve a stopgap measure to keep the government operating.

WATCH: Trump says he could force government shutdown if Congress doesn’t fund border wall

1:24 Trump says he could force government shutdown if Congress doesn’t fund border wall

Prototypes of a border wall were demonstrated near San Diego last year close to the Otay Mesa Port of Entry.

Some prototypes looked like solid walls with smooth faces, while others had metal bars that people could see through.

The total cost of a border wall has been estimated at $70 billion, according to a Senate Democrat report obtained by the New York Times.

—With files from the Associated Press