Trump Touts Border Wall In San Antonio, Which Has No Wall And Isn't On The Border
President Donald Trump on Saturday boasted to reporters about how well San Antonio’s border wall is working. But the Texas city is 150 miles from the Mexican border and has no wall.
“Everybody knows that walls work. You look at different places, they put up a wall, no problem,” Trump said outside the White House. “You look at San Antonio, you look at so many different places, they go from one of the most unsafe cities in the country to one of the safest cities, immediately, immediately.”
Trump cites San Antonio as an example of a city where a border wall has worked. It’s located 150 miles north of Mexico and there is no wall. pic.twitter.com/CyiOiGuCy3
— Adam Best (@adamcbest) January 19, 2019
The president may have intended to refer to El Paso, a Texas border city he referenced last week in an almost identical anecdote ― though he is wrong that the wall there had any effect on its crime rate.
Trump discussed the nonexistent wall in San Antonio before he offered three years’ protection for the so-called Dreamers — immigrants who came to the U.S. as children — in exchange for Democratic support for $5.7 billion for his border wall. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) quickly ripped the deal as a “non-starter.”
Part of San Antonio is in the district represented by Texas GOP Rep. Will Hurd, who opposes Trump’s wall as expensive, ineffective and damaging to private property and the environment. His district includes 820 miles of the border. In an interview this week with Rolling Stone, he called Trump’s characterization of a “crisis” at the border a “myth.”
All nine representatives who represent border areas in Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and California oppose the wall, but Hurd is the only Republican. Only two senators in all of those states — Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Sen. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.) — support the wall.
Twitter had a few comments about Trump’s goof. Many were quick to point out the 1836 Battle of the Alamo, in which the local mission’s wall failed to protect Texans from Mexican troops.
Is he talking about the Alamo, clearly, the only wall I know of in San Antonio? Has he forgotten how poorly that walll protected its occupants?
— Bad A$$ Dark Angel * USMC Vet (@bobbi_bobbi) January 19, 2019
Remember the Alamo!
— Tony Posnanski (@tonyposnanski) January 19, 2019
For the love of God.... can SOMEONE please get @realDonaldTrump a map?
His shocking level of ignorance is absolutely frightening.— Shopgirl 🇺🇸🗣☮️ (@idnac4u) January 19, 2019
I believe the #BowlingGreenMassacre lead to the creation of the great #SanAntonio wall. ....i could be wrong. Im really just looking for a #SmockingGun. #hamberders
— Mike Wickett (@mikewickett) January 19, 2019
Wal......mart?
— Seth Weitz (@sethaweitz) January 19, 2019
It would be funny if it was funny pic.twitter.com/E7B4r2GzBY
— Bob Poe (@bobpoe) January 19, 2019
Geography is hard.
— Cathy (@mollykatejane) January 19, 2019
We don’t have a wall. And we don’t want one either!
— Sandra (@Sandra_0313) January 19, 2019
The Infamous Wall Of 151 pic.twitter.com/TcytEAsRsq
— analisa.nicole. (@analisa_nicole) January 19, 2019
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.