Originally Posted by Pete F.
I'll stick with Howard, till I see a plan from Trump
Howard Stern said Wednesday that President Trump’s proposed border wall won’t solve the nation’s immigration problems and was simply cooked up as a campaign tool that “morons can get behind.”
Trump’s demand for funding for the project, which he made a key campaign promise, is at the center of the 19-day partial government shutdown, with congressional Democrats emerging from a White House meeting on Wednesday saying no progress on resolving the conflict has been made.
Stern ripped the controversial wall on his SiriusXM radio program a day after Trump delivered a prime-time address from the Oval Office touting what he called the need for a barrier separating the United States and Mexico.
“The wall’s a problem because it’s a waste of money, even Donald knows that,” said Stern — who goes back decades with Trump, hosting the then-real estate mogul on his show numerous times before his White House bid.
“You gotta know Donald a bit to understand what’s going on here. The wall’s a simplistic answer to our problems with immigration. It’s something that, you know, morons can get behind because they’re like, ‘Oh yeah, if you build a wall no one can get over it.’ But it’s not that simple,” Stern told listeners of his eponymous show.
Stern blasted Trump’s demand of $5.7 billion in funding for the border wall — which Democrats have repeatedly rejected — saying the price tag wouldn’t cover the costs of such an expansive undertaking.
“You’re talking about building a massive wall across this country on the southern border. It’s a tremendous amount of property and a tremendous amount of area to cover,” said Stern. “You’re not going to get a whole wall for $5 billion. If you really want a wall, it’s probably going to cost you some trillions of dollars.”
The commander in chief, Stern exclaimed, should “be straight up with people.”
“I would love to see Donald come on last night and go, ‘F--- this, I’m not going to bull#^&#^&#^&#^& you guys. I want $20 billion.”
On Tuesday, Trump called the southern border a "pipeline for vast quantities of illegal drugs," but Stern argued the president's plan won’t keep drugs or terrorists from entering the country.
“They’re coming into our ports. We need way more security,” Stern told a listener who called in asking why he considered the wall “a problem.”
“I’m all about keeping illegal aliens out because it’s not fair — it’s not fair to people who apply legally,” said Stern. “But at the same point, you can’t be hypocritical and be hiring illegal aliens over at Mar-a-Lago.”
Last month, The New York Times interviewed a woman who said she worked for years as a maid at Bedminster, Trump’s New Jersey golf club, as an undocumented immigrant.
Stern said the ongoing shutdown itself poses a significant risk to national security with so many federal worker furloughed or working without pay.
“Right now we don’t even have air traffic controllers being paid,” said Stern. “Talk about a lack of security. If I’m a terrorist, I’m coming in now. I bet you they’re flooding in while this government shutdown is going on.”
When his caller brought up reports of political figures building security barriers outside their homes, Stern replied, “There’s a wall over the White House … and how many people f---ing climb over it and get close to the White House? A ton. The wall ain’t stopping anybody.”
“Even Donald’s not into this wall. It’s just he’s embarrassed because he can’t get it, and Rush Limbaugh shamed him,” Stern added.
“The whole concept of the wall got him elected, a lot of people could wrap their brain around it. But the wall ain’t going to solve #^&#^&#^&#^&. And it’s going to cost a fortune. Come on, it’s nonsense.”
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