Trump disputes John Kelly on the border wall plan, says it 'has never changed or evolved'

(Image credit: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images)

On Wednesday, White House Chief of Staff John Kelly told House Democrats that some of President Trump's hardline immigration policies on the campaign were "uninformed" or "not fully informed" and that Trump had especially "evolved" in his understanding of what kind of Mexico border wall was plausible, according to Democrats in the meeting. Kelly added that the White House was seeking $20 billion for 700 miles of "physical barrier," a "50-foot wall from sea to shining sea isn't what we're going to build," attendees said, and the Mexican government won't pay for it.

"He has evolved in the way he looks at things," Kelly told Fox News on Wednesday night. "Campaign to governing are two different things, and this president has been very flexible in terms of what's in the realm of the possible." On Thursday morning, Trump disputed a number of Kelly's characterizations.

During the campaign, Trump had promised a "big, beautiful wall" along the 2,100-mile U.S.-Mexico border, most of it defined by the Rio Grande River, and vowed that Mexico would pay for it. On Thursday's New Day, CNN's Chris Cuomo and Spectrum News anchor Errol Louis noted that Trump's tweets certainly sound like an "evolved" version of Trump's original wall plan. Watch below. Peter Weber

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.