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Trump vows to ‘never back down’ on security as shutdown continues

The shutdown reached day 24, affecting federal workers and services.

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Donald Trump

Donald Trump has kept his hard line on the partial government shutdown, now in a fourth week over his insistence on billions of dollars for a wall at the US-Mexico border.

“When it comes to keeping the American people safe, I will never, ever back down,” the president said, repeating his view that the wall is needed on both security and humanitarian grounds.

He was speaking to farmers at a convention in New Orleans.

As Congress returned to Washington for a second week of legislative business since House control reverted to Democrats, the shutdown hit day 24, affecting federal workers and services.

Mr Trump has demanded 5.7 billion dollars (£4.4 billion) for his long-promised wall, while Democrats, who oppose the wall as both immoral and ineffective, insist he reopen the government before they negotiate further border security.

Before leaving for the speech, Mr Trump said he had dismissed a proposal from Republican senator Lindsey Graham to reopen the government for several weeks and continue dealing with Democrats over money for the wall.

“I did reject it, yes,” he said. “I’m not interested. I want to get it solved. I don’t want to just delay it.”

He also backed further away from the idea of declaring a national emergency as an escape hatch, saying: “I’m not looking to call a national emergency. This is so simple we shouldn’t have to.”

From the White House, he argued he alone was ready to negotiate, noting that a group of House and Senate Democrats were touring hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico.

“A lot of the Democrats were in Puerto Rico celebrating something. I don’t know, maybe they’re celebrating the shutdown,” he said.

Democratic House speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer were not on the trip to Puerto Rico. Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill tweeted: “Speaker Pelosi has been in DC all weekend working from the Capitol.”

Mr Trump asserted weeks ago that he would “own” the shutdown, and polls show he is taking most of the blame from Americans, but he now blames his political foes.

He targeted Ms Pelosi and Mr Schumer on Twitter, arguing that the shutdown “has become their, and the Democrats, fault!”

He has kept Washington on edge over whether he would resort to an emergency declaration, citing what he says is a “crisis” of drug smuggling and the trafficking of women and children at the border.

The president initially sounded as though such a move was imminent, but then pulled back. He has said several times since he first mentioned the idea in public this month that he prefers a legislative solution.

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