President Trump Donald John TrumpBarr criticizes DOJ in speech declaring all agency power 'is invested in the attorney general' Military leaders asked about using heat ray on protesters outside White House: report Powell warns failure to reach COVID-19 deal could 'scar and damage' economy MORE reportedly dismissed his own planned trip to the border as irrelevant and unlikely to make headway on Tuesday amid the ongoing dispute with Democrats over funding for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

In a conversation with reporters ahead of his televised speech to the nation Tuesday night, Trump admitted that the trip was a photo opportunity, and was unlikely to persuade any Democrats in the House or Senate to compromise on funding for the wall in a package to reopen the government, according to The New York Times.

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“It’s not going to change a damn thing, but I’m still doing it,” Trump told reporters, according to the Times. "But these people behind you say it’s worth it," he added, reportedly referring to members of the White House communications team, including Bill Shine and Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

His reported comments come ahead of his planned trip later this week to the U.S. border with Mexico, where the president is slated to “meet with those on the frontlines” of the immigration issue, according to Sanders.

“I'll be going to Texas,” Trump previously told reporters in December. “We're going to have a groundbreaking for the wall.”

Trump has battled Democrats in Congress for weeks over funding for a border wall, which the White House has stated must be included in any funding bill amid a shutdown affecting about 25 percent of the federal government.

He reportedly told Democrats on Friday that he was prepared to keep the federal government closed for "years," despite Democrats' pledges to not provide any money for wall construction in a spending package.

The president previously visited the border last year, during which he viewed prototype designs for fencing and barriers to be deployed along the southern border.