Donald Trump and Governor Mike Pence of Indiana speaking to supporters at an immigration policy speech at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona. (Gage Skidmore/Flickr)
Vice President Mike Pence said on Thursday that President Donald Trump is under the impression that he has "absolute" authority to declare a national emergency in order to build a wall on the Mexico border.
At a briefing with reporters at the U.S. Capitol, Pence insisted that Democrats have been unwilling to negotiate on what Republicans have called a border "crisis."
"It’s time for the Democrats to step up... It's time for the Democrats to negotiate," the vice president argued. "No wall, no deal."
Pence also asserted that Trump's authority to declare a national emergency is "absolute."
“The president believes he has an absolute right to declare a national emergency under his authority as president of the United States," the vice president said.
Read some tweets below from reporters who were in the room with Pence.
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