Washington: President Donald Trump vowed in his State of the Union speech Tuesday to build a border wall that is a source of a deep partisan divide and said Democratic attempts at ‘ridiculous partisan investigations’ could damage US prosperity.
Trump spoke in the chamber of the House of Representatives and he called illegal immigration ‘an urgent national crisis’, but stopped short of declaring a border emergency that would allow him to bypass Congress for wall funding. Instead, he urged Democrats and Republicans to find a compromise by February 15.
“In the past, most of the people in this room voted for a wall, but the proper wall never got built. I will get it built,” Trump said in the highly anticipated speech before a joint session of the US Congress, with his main Democratic adversary, new House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, watching over his shoulder.
At the same time, Trump warned that Democratic efforts to investigate his administration, along with the possibility of US involvement in wars abroad, would endanger the country’s economy.
“An economic miracle is taking place in the United States and the only thing which can stop it are foolish wars, politics, or ridiculous partisan investigations,” Trump pointed out.
Apart from lauding economic accomplishments – unemployment near a five-decade low and manufacturing job growth among them – Trump’s speech was light on new initiatives to further stoke growth in an economy seen as losing momentum as it began 2019. A poll conducted by this agency last month had forecast economic growth would slow to 2.1 per cent this year after likely averaging around three per cent in 2018.
Pelosi applauded half-heartedly at times and frequently sat stony-faced through Trump’s address. She has shown no sign of budging from her opposition to Trump’s wall-funding demand. That has led Trump to contemplate declaring a national emergency, which he says would let him reallocate funding from elsewhere without Congressional action.
Trump used part of his speech to offer a spirit of compromise, particularly in areas such as lowering the price of prescription drugs and funding a $1 trillion upgrade in US roads, bridges and other infrastructure.
But whether Trump and his opponents would follow through was far from clear, with both sides entrenched in long-held positions and girding for 2020 elections, reluctant to give the other side a political victory.
The nationally televised address gave Trump his biggest opportunity to date to explain why he believes a barrier is needed on the US southern border with Mexico. “Simply put, walls work and walls save lives. So let’s work together, compromise, and reach a deal that will truly make America safe,” Trump asserted.
Trump also called attention to his efforts to rewrite trade deals with China and other nations to make the terms more favourable to the United States.
As his economic advisers work to complete a trade deal with China, Trump said any agreement ‘must include real, structural change to end unfair trade practices, reduce our chronic trade deficit, and protect American jobs’.
Reuters