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Trump presses for wall funding as Hill negotiations kick off

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31 JAN 19 10:55 ET

(CNN) — President Donald Trump continued to advocate for a border wall on Thursday as he prepared to break a long stretch of remaining out of public view.

In a set of morning tweets, Trump insisted his long-promised border wall would come to fruition one way or another, blaming “political games” for delaying the inevitable.

“Lets just call them WALLS from now on and stop playing political games! A WALL is a WALL!” he tweeted.

Later, he wrote: “The Wall is getting done one way or the other!”

The messages came as Republican and Democratic negotiators begin talks on Capitol Hill over a government funding measure that Trump insists must include border wall funding.

Trump has said if they cannot come to an agreement on a bill that includes the money he demands for the wall, he’ll declare a national emergency on the southern border that would allow him to secure funds without lawmakers’ approval.

Trump and his aides were continuing to make preparations for the national emergency order this week in the event negotiators on Capitol Hill fail to reach an agreement by mid-month, White House officials say.

That included a meeting on Tuesday between the President and senior advisers to go over various options for signing the order and laying out scenarios for how it would go into effect, the officials said.

Top advisers, including son-in-law Jared Kushner, continue to warn that the move will immediately be challenged in court, hoping to temper expectations with the President that wall construction will begin immediately.

Drafts of the national emergency order have already been circulating among White House aides and lawyers. Trump has cast doubt on lawmakers’ ability to strike an agreement he could support, leading to a belief among many West Wing aides he will eventually declare the national emergency.

Over the past several days, Trump has withdrawn from public view, a break from his practice during this month’s extended government shutdown of inviting reporters to watch as he met with officials and activists to build the case for a wall.

Instead, he’s been taking meetings and making calls behind closed doors. He also spoke with a few print media outlets for interviews.

Trump received another extensive briefing on Wednesday on border security, officials said, though he hasn’t played a direct role in the talks playing out on Capitol Hill.

Trump’s absence from public view was likely to end as the week comes to a close. He had several meetings scheduled for Thursday. And he’ll sit for a television interview with CBS News to air ahead of Sunday’s Super Bowl.

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