President Donald Trump denied Wednesday that he ever asked immigration officials to consider building a snake and alligator-filled moat on the southern border to keep out illegal migrants.
The New York Times reported Tuesday that an undisclosed number of senior administration officials said the president had floated extreme measures to stop the flood of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border this past March. Among the reported suggested measures were moats filled with snakes and alligators and an electric fence topped with spikes. The president also allegedly wanted border agents to shoot migrants in the legs to “slow them down.”
The president hit back at the reporting in a Wednesday tweet. (RELATED: Migrant Caravan Tries To Storm Border, US Responds With Tear Gas)
“Now the press is trying to sell the fact that I wanted a Moat stuffed with alligators and snakes, with an electrified fence and sharp spikes on top, at our Southern Border,” Trump tweeted. “I may be tough on Border Security, but not that tough. The press has gone Crazy. Fake News!”
Now the press is trying to sell the fact that I wanted a Moat stuffed with alligators and snakes, with an electrified fence and sharp spikes on top, at our Southern Border. I may be tough on Border Security, but not that tough. The press has gone Crazy. Fake News!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 2, 2019