Trump says he will almost ‘definitely’ declare a national emergency for border wall

President Donald Trump on Thursday gave the strongest signal yet that he will declare a national emergency in an effort to secure billions of dollars for a border wall, as negotiations on Capitol Hill to reopen the federal government continue to flounder.

“I have the absolute right to declare a national emergency,” Trump told reporters outside the White House on his way to McAllen, Texas, adding that his lawyers advised him that he could. “If this doesn’t work out…I would almost say definitely,”

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The president’s demands for $5.7 billion for a barrier along the southern border thrust the government into a partial government shutdown that is on the verge of becoming the longest in U.S. history. With Democrats refusing to give in to his demands, Trump has increasingly floated the idea that he may declare a national emergency to secure the wall funds and deliver on one of his earliest campaign promises.

Some critics and legal experts, however, has questioned whether Trump has the authority to use such a declaration to build his wall.

Trump’s latest comments come a day after negotiations between Democratic leaders and the White House dramatically fell apart.

Top Republican and Democratic leaders briefly met with Trump at the White House on Wednesday afternoon to restart discussions on legislation to reopen the government. But Trump abruptly ended the meeting after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that she would not give in on border funds in the foreseeable future.

If funding for a border wall does not pass through Congress, Trump said on Thursday that there is “no doubt” he will call a national emergency. The president also said that he will then fund his wall “through the various mechanisms,” but did not expand on what that includes.