Trump backs down from national emergency threat — sort of

President Trump on Friday began to slightly ease off his threat to declare a national emergency to fund his proposed border wall — well, kind of.

After saying Thursday he is "probably" going to declare a national emergency in order to fund the wall without Congressional approval, Trump said Friday that this is not what he's "looking to do right now," adding that he won't take this route "so fast," The Washington Post reports. He said this would be the "easy way out" but that he wants "Congress to do this," urging the House and the Senate to come back and vote on a bill. So far, the House has passed bills to reopen the government, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has said he won't allow a Senate vote on any bill Trump wouldn't approve.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Explore More
Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.