Even as a bipartisan conference committee continues its work on an immigration deal, President Donald Trump has made no secret of his lack of confidence in the effort. | Susan Walsh/AP Photo Media Fox figures prod Trump to call a national emergency for his wall

Fox News figures are sending a message to President Donald Trump: Pull the trigger on declaring a national emergency.

With a little over two weeks until another possible government shutdown, multiple Fox hosts and commentators are goading the president into taking the emergency option to build a wall on the southern border, despite the political and legal risks involved.


"Is there any, in your judgment, any reason in the world why he should not call that emergency?" Fox Business Network host Lou Dobbs bluntly asked a guest on his show Thursday evening.

Sebastian Gorka, former deputy assistant to the president, also said Thursday on Fox News that Democrats' efforts to stop the wall were merely politics, and pushed for a national emergency declaration.

Morning Shift newsletter Get the latest on employment and immigration, every weekday morning — in your inbox. Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

"Let's be very clear, this is just politics, this is about the vote. This has nothing to do with the security of the nation," Gorka told Fox News' Sean Hannity. "And on February the 16th, I expect [Trump] to declare a national emergency and to build the wall."

Hannity, who often serves as an informal adviser to Trump, replied: "Agreed."

Even as a bipartisan conference committee continues its work on an immigration deal that would avert another government shutdown on Feb. 15, Trump has made no secret of his lack of confidence in the effort.

Trump told The New York Times on Thursday that the conference committee's efforts were "a waste of time," and his advisers have been working behind the scenes to finalize a national emergency declaration so that he can move quickly if he decides to go that route.

The commentary from conservatives could further push him in that direction.

Dobbs on his show Thursday characterized illegal border crossings as "a national disaster that awaits us if the border is not secured, if the wall is not built," connecting undocumented immigration to the national opioid crisis. (Most illegal drugs are smuggled into the country through ports of entry, and multiple studies show that immigrants are less likely than native-born Americans to commit crimes.)

Conservative figure Ann Coulter also egged on Trump Thursday, retweeting his message that read, "If the committee of Republicans and Democrats now meeting on Border Security is not discussing or contemplating a Wall or Physical Barrier, they are Wasting their time!"

She added her own message: "And if they're contemplating amnesty, it's also a waste of time."

If there is an urgent crisis on the southern border, many on the other side of the aisle have questioned why Trump would take so long to declare a national emergency. Trump said during the last shutdown that he would prefer a legislative solution to securing wall funding, but that all options are on the table. Trump told reporters Thursday he would only accept a deal with wall funding and that "if there’s no wall, it doesn’t work."

Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), a vocal critic of the president, said last week Trump was taking federal workers "hostage" with the 35-day government shutdown and was beholden to the agenda of conservative talking heads.

"That's who we are dealing with, with the president of the United States, an amoral, lying person whose mind is changed at a whim. And I guess if Ann Coulter yells at him, he turns into a total wimp," Hirono said on MSNBC.

