Trump denies he wanted a border wall moat — but not that he suggested shooting migrants' legs

(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

President Trump is selectively firing back against The New York Times.

A Tuesday Times report detailed how Trump has privately made some outlandish border wall requests, namely suggesting a moat around the wall and that border patrol agents should shoot migrants in the legs to slow them down. Both the White House and Trump have since disputed the report — but notably didn't deny some of its most outrageous findings.

White House aides told the Times that Trump "often talked about fortifying a border wall with a water-filled trench, stocked with snakes or alligators," and wanted it "electrified, with spikes on top that could pierce human flesh." And after publicly saying border patrol agents could fire back at migrants who threw rocks at them, he reportedly later "suggested they shoot migrants in the legs to slow them down."

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White House spokesperson Hogan Gidley decried the apparent "fake news characterizations" in a Wednesday statement, but didn't actually deny Trump's reported requests.

And then it was Trump's turn to respond, delivering a tweet that shot down the moat allegation but said nothing about shooting migrants. Kathryn Krawczyk

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Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.