Faced with bipartisan opposition in the US Congress against his proposed wall on the border with Mexico, President Donald Trump has once again raised the specter of a government shutdown in case he doesn’t get the required funding.
Trump told a rally in Phoenix last week that “if we have to close down the government, we’re building that wall,” signaling his will to take on a large group of Democratic and Republican lawmakers who stood firmly against the idea.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Trump refused to withdraw the threat after being pressed to explain the reasoning behind it.
“I hope that’s not necessary. If it’s necessary, we’ll have to see,” Trump said of a possible government shutdown. “The wall is needed from the standpoint of security.”
Standing next to visiting Finnish President Sauli Niinisto, Trump also told reporters that the wall was going to be made and Mexico was going to pay for it “one way or the…