WASHINGTON – President Trump claimed during his visit to the U.S. southern border on Thursday that wheels predated the creation of the wall — launching almost immediate reaction on social media.

But was he correct?

The president, during his comments in a roundtable event with lawmakers and Border Patrol officials, made the argument for funding a wall along the U.S. - Mexican border by criticizing Democrats and dubbing it a medieval solution that works.

"They say ‘a wall is medieval.’ Well, so is a wheel. A wheel is older than a wall," Trump said. "The wheel is older than the wall, you know that? There are some things that work. You know what? A wheel works and a wall works. Nothing like a wall."

When it comes to walls, one of the first known walls used in civilization to enclose a city was the Wall of Jericho, which surrounded one of the first permanent settlements.

The wall is an ancient comparison to Trump's plan for the southern border and used stones instead of concrete or steel. It also only enclosed a town that spanned about 430,000 square feet — rather than separating two countries. The U.S. - Mexico border spans about 1,933 miles.

Jericho's settlement is traced back to about 9000 B.C., according to Britannica. Around the same time, walls have been traced as being used in a temple in Urfa, located in southeast Turkey.

The first wheel, however, is traced back to about 3500 B.C., thousands of years after walls, meaning the president was incorrect in his statements.

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The Smithsonian Magazine notes the first wheel was created in Mesopotamia as potter's wheels, well before people figured out they could be used for transportation on chariots.

Fait Muedini, the director of international studies at Butler University in Indiana, said the president's incorrect historical argument appeared to be another example of him pulling at straws in hopes to sway public opinion.

"I think it's clear that he's using these types of arguments to see what sticks," Muedini said. "None of the things he's been saying has really stuck and he's trying to get something to work."

The president's remarks came along with repeated attacks against Democrats, saying they were in an "indefensible position" after denying Trump's demands for $5.7 billion for a border wall. The impasse over funding for the wall has continued, amounting to the federal government being partially shutdown for 20 days.

During Trump's visit to the border, he heard from border officials and family members who said their loved ones were killed by immigrants who entered the country illegally.

"They say it’s immoral,” Trump said of the Democratic position on his wall. “What’s immoral is all the killing that’s taking place."