NEW YORK – As the partial shutdown of U.S. government approaches a recordlength, President Donald Trump is set to address the nation Tuesday night(7 a.m. PST Wednesday) on what he called the “crisis” at the country’sborder with Mexico.The Democrats, citing their attempts to end the shutdown, issued astatement late Monday demanding equal TV time to respond Trump’s speech.Trump said he will visit the U.S.-Mexican border Thursday to promote hisplan for a wall to keep out undocumented immigrants, the sticking point innegotiations with Democrats to reopen the government. Democrats said Trumpand his aides exaggerate the numbers of immigrants entering the countryillegally to justify his stance on the wall.Trump will “meet with those on the front lines of the national security andhumanitarian crisis” at the border, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sandersposted on Twitter. “More details will be announced soon.””Trump shut down the government over a manufactured crisis at the border,”the Democratic National Committee said in a statement.Tuesday’s speech, Trump’s first from the Oval Office, will give him achance to lay out his case on an issue that led to the shutdown.Democratic congressional leaders – House of Representatives Speaker NancyPelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer – demanded the networksgive them equal time to counter Trump.“If past statements are any indication,” they said in a joint statement,Trump’s speech “will be full of malice and misinformation.”Pelosi and Schumer said Trump should agree to a plan to re-open thegovernment now while they continue to negotiate a border security plan. TheHouse, now controlled by the Democrats, passed legislation last week toreopen the government. -APP/AFP
US President Donald Trump to make an important address to the Nation
