Remember Trump’s wall? Well, it looks like the president is still determined to build it, and the entire project is going to get official on Wednesday. Trump said as much on Twitter
“Big day planned on NATIONAL SECURITY [sic] tomorrow,” Trump said. “Among many other things, we will build the wall!”
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/824083821889015809
The border wall is one of Trump’s signature campaign promises. His voters expect him to build one, while critics have often remarked that Trump may have never taken into account the technological complexities related to building such a magnificent structure.
According to CNN, Trump plans to issue two executive orders on Wednesday during his visit to the Department of Homeland Security.
The first order will direct the agency to start the construction of the wall and to repair existing areas of fencing between the US and Mexico.
A person familiar with the plans said that Trump’s order will also increase staff at Customs and Border Protection by 5,000 and will require the DHS to detail what aid is directed to Mexico. It’s believed that Trump might consider moving some of that money to build the wall.
CNN explains that building a 25 feet wall — 5 feet of which would consist of a foundation — that’s 2,000 miles long would cost more than $10.5 billion. The wall might be completed in four years, if you’re ambitious, the report notes.
But that’s just speculation at this point, and that’s what makes this controversial project somewhat interesting. Of course, if Trump’s wall will actually be a fence rather than a concrete mammoth, then it might be a lot easier to build — and a lot less attractive, at least from a technological standpoint.