Newt Gingrich admits Trump probably can't get Mexico to pay for his wall. 'But it was a great campaign device.'

(Image credit: Matthew Cavanaugh/Getty Images)

published 10 November 2016

Two days after Donald Trump was elected president, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, an ardent Trump supporter, admitted the president-elect's promise to get Mexico to fund his proposed border wall may have just been "a campaign device." "He may not spend much time trying to get Mexico to pay for it," Gingrich said of a hypothetical border structure. "But it was a great campaign device."

Gingrich, who is reportedly being considered for the role of secretary of state, said what Trump will "spend a lot of time" on is "controlling the border." Gingrich suggested the flow of refugees into the U.S. could be reduced "by 99 percent in one day by just being practical." "He knows how to build big buildings. He knows how to build golf courses. He knows how to build lots of stuff," Gingrich said of Trump. "The idea that Trump can't figure out how to control the southern border is just silly."