Kim Hjelmgaard

USA TODAY

President-elect Donald Trump defended a plan Friday that would see the United States initially pay for a border wall with Mexico and then be reimbursed at a later date.

"The dishonest media does not report that any money spent on building the Great Wall (for sake of speed), will be paid back by Mexico later!" Trump tweeted Friday.

The proposed U.S.-Mexico border wall was one of Trump's key campaign pledges. He repeatedly vowed to make Mexico pay for it. His reference to "dishonest media" was related to reports that emerged late Thursday that appeared to suggest the president-elect was trying to modify his vow.

Trump did not specify in his tweet whether his administration would seek to build the wall with taxpayer money, although he suggested in a speech in October that U.S. government funds could initially be used to get the project off the ground.

Congress certifies Trump's victory as protests fail

For the Record: Trump’s a ‘big fan’ of intelligence, except when he’s not

"I said Mexico is paying for the wall, with the full understanding that the country of Mexico will be reimbursing the United States for the full cost of such a wall, OK?" Trump said at a rally in Gettysburg, Pa. on Oct. 22. "We’re going to have the wall. Mexico is going to pay for the wall."

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto has said his country won't pay for the wall.

While the detail of Trump's proposal was not clear, the Associated Press reported the president-elect's aides are pushing for a plan that would seek the funds through existing legislation such as the Secure Fence Act of 2006. That act already authorizes some types of enclosures along the U.S.'s southern border.

In a series of early-morning tweets Friday, Trump also urged his supporters to attend his inauguration on Jan. 20, claimed that Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party "were never going to beat the PASSION of my voters" and poked fun at the softer ratings of The Celebrity Apprentice television show since his departure.

Trump is due to receive an intelligence briefing Friday on alleged Russian hacking of the U.S. election. The Central Intelligence Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National Security Agency have all concluded that there is evidence showing that Russia meddled in the presidential election. Trump has cast doubt on these conclusions.