Trump, the GOP presidential nominee, is threatening to cut off funding for the wall if he wins the election.
The New York businessman and former reality TV star has made a habit of attacking Democrats for opposing the construction of the border wall, which has become a political lightning rod for many Americans.
But his rhetoric has also been laced with criticism that he’s undermining the U.S.-Mexico border, a point Trump has reiterated throughout the 2016 campaign.
“I don’t want to be the guy who has to negotiate with anybody who doesn’t have a heart,” Trump said Wednesday during a speech in Miami.
“The only person that’s got to negotiate is the president.
And if they can’t get along with the president, then they’re not going to get along.
And I think we have a problem in this country that we’re just not doing it.”
Trump has also repeatedly said he’s not willing to negotiate on immigration and he wants to end the DACA program that allows undocumented immigrants brought to the U., known as DREAMers, to remain in the country.
But Democrats have been trying to push him to make good on that pledge and push for a legislative fix to the DACA law, which expires at the end of March.
Democrats have argued that the wall is necessary to protect the border from drugs, criminals and human trafficking.
In a statement Wednesday, Trump slammed Democrats for “playing politics with our own lives and futures.”
“They have chosen to play politics with millions of lives and the lives of tens of thousands of people across our country by pushing a dangerous and ineffective legislative fix that will put people at risk,” Trump wrote.
“They can’t afford to lose millions of votes, and their own constituents.
They can’t allow their own policies to become the law of the land.”
Trump’s threat comes as he’s working to shore up his campaign against Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
His campaign has been taking advantage of the fact that Democrats are focusing on Trump’s business record, particularly his business dealings in Mexico.
Trump has spent millions of dollars on ads against the GOP nominee in Florida and New Hampshire.
In New Hampshire, Trump will be joined by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D), who was one of Trump’s top surrogates in the primary.
But Shaheens office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Clinton campaign also has been highlighting Trump’s rhetoric about the wall, highlighting his plan to build a fence along the border with Mexico.
“As we build a wall along the southern border, the President is putting millions of Americans at risk by refusing to build the wall and will have to pay dearly for it,” Clinton campaign spokesman Josh Schwerin said in a statement.
“He’s also refused to condemn the border raids that have been going on on his watch and he is not going along with President Obama’s dangerous proposal to end DACA, which allows Dreamers to stay in the United States without fear of deportation.
It’s no wonder the President has taken the path of least resistance and is continuing to threaten to close the border without a plan for how to secure it.”