Trump's Wall
Trump admits 'you can cut through any wall' after report his wall is being breached with cheap power tools
President Trump touted the strength of his border wall at a campaign rally in Tupelo, Mississippi, on Friday night. He told the crowed that Army wall engineers wanted to use concrete, steel, and rebar, and he told them even though it would cost more, use all three materials. "I did all three because it's a different form of cutting," Trump said. "You can get through steel, but you can't through the concrete, and then, you can't through the hardened rebar."
Hours later, The Washington Post reported Saturday that Mexican smugglers were actually cutting through the new replacement barrier Trump has erected near San Diego using cordless reciprocating saws you can purchase for about $100 at hardware stores. Specialized blades can slice through the steel-plated, rebar-reinforced concrete bollards in minutes, border agents told the Post.
"After cutting through the base of a single bollard, smugglers can push the steel out of the way, creating an adult-size gap," the Post reports. "Because the bollards are so tall — and are attached only to a panel at the top — their length makes them easier to push aside once they have been cut and are left dangling."
On Saturday evening, reporters asked Trump if he's concerned that people are able to cut though his new border wall. "I haven't heard that," Trump replied. "We have a very powerful wall. But no matter how powerful, you can cut through anything, in all fairness. But we have a lot of people watching. You know, cutting — cutting is one thing, but it's easily fixed. One of the reasons we did it the way we did it — it's very easily fixed to put the chunk back in. But we have a very powerful wall. But you can cut through any wall."
You can read more about Trump's $10 billion border wall, its strengths and weaknesses, and how Mexican smugglers are cat-and-mousing U.S. border patrol agents at The Washington Post.