Transcript for Trump makes the case for declaring a national emergency to fund border wall

he'll declare a national emergency to fund his border wall. And he's taking aim at a familiar critic of his plan. ABC white house correspondent Tara Palmeri has more. Reporter: From the white house Friday, the president making the case for declaring a national emergency so that he can go around congress and build a wall himself. We will be looking at a national emergency. It's getting built one way or the other. Reporter: A February 15th deadline looming for a bipartisan group of lawmakers to agree on border security funding. If not, another shutdown. They're having a negotiation over it in there. Now, there's not going to be any wall money in the legislation. Reporter: And president trump firing back in a new CBS interview saying that house speaker Nancy Pelosi was rigid during negotiations and questioning her motivations. She wanted to win a political point. I think she's very bad for our country. She knows that you need a barrier. Reporter: Accusing Pelosi of ignoring human trafficking. She doesn't mind human trafficking or she wouldn't do this. Reporter: An issue, polaris claims has no place in the border wall debate. Let's get the facts straight, human trafficking happens in the United States to people who are already here to citizens and to foreign nationals. Declaring an emergency would give the president the power to redirect funds towards building a wall along the Mexico border. Having a national emergency helps the process. Reporter: It's something Republicans and Democrats fear could be an overreach of executive power and one that could be challenged in the courts. I would hate to see it primarily because if we do that, it's going to go to court and the wall won't get built. Reporter: The state of the union will be another prime-time opportunity for the president to make his pitch to the American people for a border wall. When asked yesterday if he'll declare a national emergency during that speech, the president didn't rule it out. Eva. Tara Palmeri there for us in Florida.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.