During President Donald Trump’s frenzy of tweets Monday, he appeared to contradict himself on funding for his border wall within minutes.

First, he promised: “MEXICO IS PAYING FOR THE WALL.” Then, in the next tweet 11 minutes later, he attacked the Democrats for what he predicted will be their decision to allocate “NOTHING to border security, namely the Wall.”

MEXICO IS PAYING FOR THE WALL through the many billions of dollars a year that the U.S.A. is saving through the new Trade Deal, the USMCA, that will replace the horrendous NAFTA Trade Deal, which has so badly hurt our Country. Mexico & Canada will also thrive - good for all! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 1, 2019

The Democrats will probably submit a Bill, being cute as always, which gives everything away but gives NOTHING to Border Security, namely the Wall. You see, without the Wall there can be no Border Security - the Tech “stuff” is just, by comparison, meaningless bells & whistles... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 1, 2019

He followed up with a head-scratcher about “some things” that “NEVER get better and NEVER change,” adding, “You have Walls and you have Wheels.”

...Remember this. Throughout the ages some things NEVER get better and NEVER change. You have Walls and you have Wheels. It was ALWAYS that way and it will ALWAYS be that way! Please explain to the Democrats that there can NEVER be a replacement for a good old fashioned WALL! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 1, 2019

Trump is now claiming that “savings” from an updated NAFTA agreement with Mexico will pay for the wall, but how that would work remains a mystery.

Trump’s contradictions and flip-flops are complicating any compromise that would end the partial shutdown of the government, which began Dec. 22.

Outgoing chief of staff John Kelly told the Los Angeles Times in an interview last week that the idea of a concrete wall was dropped by the administration early in 2018 for a fence or another kind of barrier. “To be honest, it’s not a wall,” Kelly said. Trump spoke of “beautiful steel slats,” rather than a wall, in mid-December. On the night Trump refused to sign a spending measure without funds for a wall, triggering the shutdown, he posted a video calling for a “wall or a slat fence or whatever you want to call it.”

On Sunday, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C) said that the wall is simply a “metaphor” for border security, which would involve a “barrier where it makes sense.”

But Trump doubled down on his campaign-promised concrete wall on Monday, saying the idea of an “all-concrete wall” has “never been abandoned.”

An all concrete Wall was NEVER ABANDONED, as has been reported by the media. Some areas will be all concrete but the experts at Border Patrol prefer a Wall that is see through (thereby making it possible to see what is happening on both sides). Makes sense to me! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 31, 2018

President and Mrs. Obama built/has a ten foot Wall around their D.C. mansion/compound. I agree, totally necessary for their safety and security. The U.S. needs the same thing, slightly larger version! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 30, 2018

As for funding, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) made a point recently about that:

THEN:

Who is going to pay for the wall? Mexico. Mexico. Mexico.



NOW:

Who is going to pay for the wall? American taxpayers.

And if I don’t get $5 billion from them, I’m going to shut down the government.



President @realDonaldTrump, no temper tantrum is going to get you the wall. pic.twitter.com/pK7pXcYwzk — Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) December 18, 2018