Trump says spending $5 billion on a border wall 'would save billions of dollars'

President Trump is desperately looking for someone to foot his border wall bill.

In a Monday morning tweet, Trump reiterated his newest wall-related messaging, saying America "would save billions of dollars if the Democrats would give us the votes to build" a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico. He also suggested that, if it doesn't work out, America "will close the southern border" to keep people from "illegally" entering the country.

Funding for many government programs is set to expire at midnight Friday, and Trump has resisted signing a new spending bill unless Democrats agree to put border wall funding in it. Compromising Democrats agreed to put $1 billion toward the broader goal of border security in this year's spending bill. But Trump still wants $5 billion explicitly for the wall, which seems like the opposite of "sav[ing] billions of dollars."

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Until just a few months ago, it was Mexico who was going to pay for the wall, according to Trump's oft-repeated assumption. Mexico's former president has made it very clear that wouldn't be happening.