To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.
U.S. President Donald Trump during a Rose Garden press event at the White House February 15, 2019 in Washington, DC. Trump said he would declare a national emergency to free up federal funding to build a wall along the southern border. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Amid the bizarre calvacade of lies, false assertions, exploitive tropes, and sing-song explanations of the likely legal battle to come over his national emergency declaration on Friday morning at the White House, President Donald Trump let one little thing--obvious to many--slip.
"I didn't need to do this," Trump declared - a central admission in which he further explained that he just wanted his wall, which Congress has repeatedly and in a bipartisan manner refused to fund, "faster" than the legislative process will allow. A very strange thing to say about an emergency.
Watch:
\u201cWatch Trump admit that this is a fake national emergency: "I didn't need to do this"\u201d— Public Citizen (@Public Citizen) 1550248190
As Aaron Blake at the Washington Postwrote in response: "If it's truly an emergency, how can you say you didn't need to declare an emergency? Trump basically admitted that this was a choice for him -- a matter of expediency, quite literally -- and not something required by events on the ground."
Meanwhile, what the president's many critics have argued is that the president has created a #FakeNationalEmergency in order to grab by fiat something he could not achieve through constitutional or legal means.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) noted:
\u201c\u201cI didn\u2019t need to do this\u201d is admitting this isn\u2019t an emergency at all.\n\n\u201cI didn\u2019t need to do this\u201d means he\u2019s faking a crisis.\u201d— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) 1550250071
It was a comment, several journalists noted, "that you can bet is going to be cited in lawsuits against this national emergency."
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today! |
Amid the bizarre calvacade of lies, false assertions, exploitive tropes, and sing-song explanations of the likely legal battle to come over his national emergency declaration on Friday morning at the White House, President Donald Trump let one little thing--obvious to many--slip.
"I didn't need to do this," Trump declared - a central admission in which he further explained that he just wanted his wall, which Congress has repeatedly and in a bipartisan manner refused to fund, "faster" than the legislative process will allow. A very strange thing to say about an emergency.
Watch:
\u201cWatch Trump admit that this is a fake national emergency: "I didn't need to do this"\u201d— Public Citizen (@Public Citizen) 1550248190
As Aaron Blake at the Washington Postwrote in response: "If it's truly an emergency, how can you say you didn't need to declare an emergency? Trump basically admitted that this was a choice for him -- a matter of expediency, quite literally -- and not something required by events on the ground."
Meanwhile, what the president's many critics have argued is that the president has created a #FakeNationalEmergency in order to grab by fiat something he could not achieve through constitutional or legal means.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) noted:
\u201c\u201cI didn\u2019t need to do this\u201d is admitting this isn\u2019t an emergency at all.\n\n\u201cI didn\u2019t need to do this\u201d means he\u2019s faking a crisis.\u201d— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) 1550250071
It was a comment, several journalists noted, "that you can bet is going to be cited in lawsuits against this national emergency."
Amid the bizarre calvacade of lies, false assertions, exploitive tropes, and sing-song explanations of the likely legal battle to come over his national emergency declaration on Friday morning at the White House, President Donald Trump let one little thing--obvious to many--slip.
"I didn't need to do this," Trump declared - a central admission in which he further explained that he just wanted his wall, which Congress has repeatedly and in a bipartisan manner refused to fund, "faster" than the legislative process will allow. A very strange thing to say about an emergency.
Watch:
\u201cWatch Trump admit that this is a fake national emergency: "I didn't need to do this"\u201d— Public Citizen (@Public Citizen) 1550248190
As Aaron Blake at the Washington Postwrote in response: "If it's truly an emergency, how can you say you didn't need to declare an emergency? Trump basically admitted that this was a choice for him -- a matter of expediency, quite literally -- and not something required by events on the ground."
Meanwhile, what the president's many critics have argued is that the president has created a #FakeNationalEmergency in order to grab by fiat something he could not achieve through constitutional or legal means.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) noted:
\u201c\u201cI didn\u2019t need to do this\u201d is admitting this isn\u2019t an emergency at all.\n\n\u201cI didn\u2019t need to do this\u201d means he\u2019s faking a crisis.\u201d— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) 1550250071
It was a comment, several journalists noted, "that you can bet is going to be cited in lawsuits against this national emergency."