Trump was reportedly fuming after John Kelly said his views on the border wall had 'evolved' since the 2016 campaign
- President Donald Trump reportedly "hated" comments made by his chief of staff John Kelly on Wednesday.
- Kelly told Fox News that Trump's views had "evolved" on the border wall and protections for Dreamers.
- Kelly also reportedly told Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday that Trump's campaign promises were "uninformed."
President Donald Trump reportedly grew enraged after an interview his chief of staff John Kelly gave to Fox News on Wednesday, in which he said the president's views on immigration and the border wall were not "fully informed" during his 2016 campaign and have since "evolved."
Kelly had told Fox News' Brett Baier that Trump has "changed his attitude" toward his long-promised wall after being told by experts that there are places along the US-Mexico border where "a wall would not be realistic." He also said Trump has adjusted his view on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which protects young unauthorized immigrants from deportation.
"He has evolved in the way he's looked at things," Kelly said. "Campaign to governing are two different things, and this president has been very, very flexible in terms of what is within the realm of the possible."
Kelly had also reportedly told Democratic lawmakers from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus on Wednesday that Trump's immigration-related campaign promises were "uninformed," adding that the US will never build a wall along its entire southern border and convince Mexico to pay for it, The Washington Post reported.
Kelly has been Trump's chief of staff since the former man in the position, Reince Priebus, was ousted from the job in July. Kelly, a retired Marine four-star general, is known for his strict style, and his presence has reigned in some of the more freewheeling practices in the Trump White House.
Trump took to Twitter early on Thursday to refute some of the claims Kelly made, though the president did not mention his right-hand-man by name.
"The Wall is the Wall, it has never changed or evolved from the first day I conceived of it. Parts will be, of necessity, see through and it was never intended to be built in areas where there is natural protection such as mountains, wastelands or tough rivers or water," Trump tweeted, going on to claim that Mexico would "directly or indirectly" pay for the wall after NAFTA negotiations.
"If there is no Wall, there is no Deal!" he added.
The likelihood of actually building Trump's wall
The wall has been a major point of contention in immigration negotiations between lawmakers and Trump.
While hard-line Republicans have demanded billions in funding for a concrete wall, Democrats and moderate Republicans have sought to fund more digital barriers such as drones, sensors, and surveillance technology.
The apparent rift between Trump and Kelly comes as negotiations over a bipartisan immigration deal grow increasingly heated.
A bill proposed by the so-called "Gang of Six" has won over some support from moderate Republicans including sens. Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Lamar Alexander, and Mike Rounds.
But lawmakers further to the right, including sens. Tom Cotton, David Perdue, and John Cornyn have declared the proposal a nonstarter. They've said it doesn't go far enough in meeting their demands to build the wall, reduce family-based immigration categories, and eliminate the diversity visa lottery.