You might have thought the project dead. After all, no one else had the temerity to even call for it in the first place. And we all could be forgiven for assuming it would die after the presidency of Donald Trump was relegated to the history books.
The Wall. It was the very symbol of Donald Trump’s startling political ascent, the single project which animated his most rabid supporters, and particularly infuriated the Trump haters. But more importantly, it was what most distinguished him from the long parade of career politicians afraid to act for fear of electoral consequences. As Democrats welcomed the flow of illegal immigrants, conservative careerists talked boldly for years about stopping it but never produced anything resembling a solution.
The Big, Beautiful Problem-Solver
Then Trump came along, unencumbered by the need for fame, fortune or power he had long since accumulated, and employed the simple logic and common sense of a business executive. The problem? Too many illegals entering the country, stealing jobs and feeding at the public trough - officially in the range of 12 million or so, but ultimately incalculable because, of course, they are “undocumented.” The thought process in forging a solution: denial at the point of entry is imperative. And what has proven to be most effective for such a task over time - in fact, for millennia? Well, a border wall worked splendidly for China 3,000 years ago, and it works just as well for Israel today.
And now it turns out that the big, beautiful wall envisioned by Trump, stalled at about 450 miles (mostly fortification of existing/dilapidated structures) after Joe Biden canceled it immediately upon taking office, may be alive and kicking. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has stepped into the breach, intending to fill the vacuum left by Trump’s departure. Abbott announced late last week that he plans to pick up construction of the border wall as part of a billion dollars from his state budget targeted for border security.
“We have to build the border,” Abbott told Fox News. “I’ve been down here talking to the people in the Rio Grande Valley and the way they are being overrun is reprehensible, it’s disastrous what the Biden administration has done.” He plans to announce details of his wall construction plan in the days ahead.
Trending Now: Border Walls
The Great Wall of China and the barricade in Israel are just the most prominent historical and contemporary examples of a trend that has been accelerating around the world over the last half-century. As World War II reached its conclusion, there were seven known border walls or fences around the world. But as the Soviets overran Eastern Europe before their merciful relegation to the ash heap of history, that number reached 15. Today, there are over 70 walls or fences around the world — many erected after 9/11/01. That is what you call a pattern.
Would this rapidly growing number of nations choose such protection if it proved ineffective? Ask any of the millions imprisoned behind the Berlin Wall whether that barrier was effective in preventing their escape. And walls built to keep people in are just as effective at keeping them out.
But far be it from D.C. politicians to empathize with the plight of documented Americans. Abbott declared that the Biden administration was actually filing suit against him for his aggressive tactics designed to protect his state from being overrun. But one would expect no less from the protected class in Washington, signaling its virtue from the safety of the Washington bubble. What matters now is that the next man in line behind Trump with an interest in shutting down illegal immigration has answered the call to carry on a game-changing project of the 45th president.
So Trumpists everywhere, including those pining for their man to take one more shot at the big prize in 2024, have found another sliver of hope amidst the despair of 2020. They are realizing that, if Trump decides to stay out of the ring, the esteemed governor of Texas, along with his equally outspoken counterpart in Florida, Ron DeSantis, with their unflinching Trumpian view of the world, are fast establishing themselves as appealing alternatives.
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Read more from Tim Donner.
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