
“There’s a false narrative out there that this wall is the president’s vanity wall,” Morgan said, stressing that Trump reached out to border agents and officials and solicited their input.
“Thank you. You listened to the agents and gave them exactly what they asked for,” Morgan told Trump.
“Mexico is doing this because they don’t want to be tariffed,” Trump told reporters.
“If Mexico stopped helping us, it would immediately be on the table,” he said. “But we don’t want to do that now because they have been fantastic.”
Trump also said he had deferred to officials on his wish to have the wall painted black, saying it would be left a “natural rust” to save costs so that more barrier can be built.
“We can paint it at another time,” the president said.
One worker told Trump it is tradition for visitors to sign the wall, and the president did so shortly before departing for a long trip back to Washington.