‘A lot of people are hurting’: How Trump’s ‘lock down’ rhetoric is affecting people’s lives

By Jessica McEvoy,CNN”President Donald Trump is calling for a wall along the southern border, according to a leaked executive summary of his January 30, 2021, meeting with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto.”

We have a wall, it’s a great wall.

I’ve been there with Mexico for a long time, and it’s going to be great,” Trump said, according with the executive summary, which was first reported by The New York Times.”

I want Mexico to pay for it.

We’ll do it,” he added, according the report.”

If Mexico is going to pay, we’re going to have a lot of money coming in.

“During a speech in Alabama in February 2021, Trump vowed to build a wall across the US-Mexico border to stop illegal immigration, claiming he could pay for the project by raising taxes on Mexican Americans.”

What I am saying is we have to stop taking advantage of people and people have to pay their fair share, but also Mexico,” Trump added, adding, “They can’t take advantage of us.””

You can’t just build a big wall, but you can make Mexico pay for that wall,” Trump reportedly said, in a later speech.

Trump’s proposal for a border wall has drawn ire from many people, including Republican Senator John McCain.

In a letter addressed to President Donald Trump, Senator John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, wrote, “The United States must continue to build an effective border wall with Mexico in order to secure the American people’s safety and to prevent the flow of drugs and weapons across our border.”

Senator Thune added that he had been “unaware of any specific proposals from the White House to construct a physical barrier” between the US and Mexico.

However, a report by the House Intelligence Committee, which includes Republican Representative Devin Nunes, claimed that Trump’s plan for a physical wall would be funded through the US government.

According to the report, “Mexico has already agreed to pay some $20 billion for the wall, and Trump’s budget would put that number at $32 billion over 10 years.””

Mexico’s offer is a big ask for US taxpayers to bear, given that Trump would be expected to provide additional benefits for the government in return for the billions he is demanding from Mexico,” the report said.

The report also said that Trump “has yet to provide any details on how he will pay for such a wall,” which it said “is highly likely that he will ask for taxpayer money in the form of tax breaks.”

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, the Trump administration has yet to make any announcements on a border-security plan, and has instead “brought forward proposals that have focused on expanding the number of Border Patrol agents, bolstering infrastructure and building additional infrastructure along the border.

Trump has not said how he would pay for this.””

While we do not yet have an official plan for border security, we do know that we have a long-term plan for the construction of a wall that will ensure the safety of all Americans, including our families,” said Sen. Tom Cotton, a Texas Republican.”

A lot more people are hurt by the President’s proposed wall than he is,” Cotton said, adding that “the President’s wall is not a fence, it is a barrier that makes it more difficult for law enforcement to reach those who cross our border illegally.””

We must protect American lives, not just border security,” Cotton added.”

It is a matter of life and death for our communities.

The President’s policies are not serving America, and they must be halted.””

President Trump must stop the reckless rhetoric that is destroying the lives of so many Americans and put Americans first,” said Rep. Sean Duffy, a Wisconsin Republican.

Follow Jessica McAvoy on Twitter @McAvoyCNN