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By JILL COLVIN
PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) – President Donald Trump took advantage of the Thanksgiving Day appeal to troops deployed overseas to welcome their grievances over the courts, trade and migrants heading to the border Mexican-American.
Trump's appeal, launched since his opulent private club Mar-a-Lago, seemed unusually political as he spoke with members of the five branches of the army to wish them a happy holiday.
"It's a shame," Trump said of the judges who blocked his attempts to recast US immigration law, linking his efforts to secure the border with military missions abroad.
Trump subsequently threatened to close the US border with Mexico for an undisclosed period if his administration felt that Mexico had lost "control" on its side.
The call was a unique blend of Trump, composed of boastful and peppery questions and improvised observations, while his comments went from vengeance to praise on the troops. tables on the outdoor terrace behind him. And it was a new demonstration of how Trump had radically transformed the presidency, erasing the traditional divisions between domestic politics and military issues and efforts to keep troops out of politics.
"You probably see the news of what is happening on our southern border," Trump told an Air Force Brigadier General stationed at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, adding: " I do not even have to ask you, I know what you want to do, you want to make sure you know who we let in. "
Trump also continued to plead against the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in the US, which he says has become "a big thorn in our side."
"It's a terrible thing," he said, "when judges tell you how to protect your border. It's a shame.
Later, Trump interviewed a US Coast Guard commander on the trade, whom he called "a very big topic" for him personally.
"We have been exploited for many years by bad trade agreements," Trump told the commander, who timidly replied that "we do not see any trade problem at the moment."
And all this time, Trump was sure to congratulate himself, telling the officers that the country was doing exceptionally well under his supervision.
"I hope you are reassured knowing that all the American families that are important to you are doing well," he said. "The nation is doing well economically, better than anyone in the world," he told reporters. "Nobody did more for the military than me."
Indeed, asked what he was grateful for this Thanksgiving holiday, Trump quoted his "big family" as well as himself.
"I made a huge difference in this country," he said. "This country is so much stronger today than it was when I took office and you would not believe it and when you see it, we have so many more people strong that we do not even believe it. "
But Trump continued to warn about the situation on the southern border while he was answering journalists' questions, pointing out the caravans of Central American migrants heading for the United States and warning that " If we find that it reaches a level where we lose control or people will start to get hurt, we will close the entry into the country for a period of time until we can control it. . "
He said he had the power to do it by order and that he had used it earlier this week. "Two days ago, we closed the border. In fact, we have just closed it, claiming that no one was coming because he was out of control. "
It has not in any way sealed the border with Mexico. Authorities have closed an entry port, San Ysidro, Calif., For several hours early Monday morning to boost security, due to concerns about a potential influx of members of the migrant caravan. They closed the northbound lanes in the United States and reopened most of them before the morning rush.
The threat at the Trump border came a few days after a federal judge suspended attempts by the administration to revise the rules of asylum. The courts have also blocked several versions of the president's travel ban, as well as his attempt to end a program allowing young immigrants unlawfully brought into the country as children to live and work. to work in the country.
Trump could probably close the entire southern border on order, at least temporarily, citing national security powers. This could cause considerable damage to bilateral relations as well as cross-border trade between the United States and Mexico, its third largest trading partner. This would not necessarily prevent migrants from coming; Trump should face the same asylum laws that are already upsetting his efforts to harden the border.
Among the topics addressed by the President during his question-and-answer session with the press:
– Trump has disputed reports that the CIA has concluded that the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia was responsible for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. "The CIA is pointing both sides," said Trump. "Maybe he did it maybe he did not."
– To the question of who should be held responsible for the murder, Trump replied: "The world should perhaps be held responsible" because the world is a perverse place. "
– Trump said he would interview candidates for vacancies in his administration, but would not say for which positions.
"I'm very happy with my office and the people who work for me and for us … They are absolute stars." But he added, "There is always a lot of change. I will probably change my relationship. "
– Trump will not rule out the possibility of a partial closure of the government following the legislators' refusal to allocate billions of dollars to the promised border war. "Can there be a stop? It certainly could, and it will be border security, of which the wall is part, "said Trump.
– Trump said he had spoken with his daughter, Ivanka, following his announcement. She reportedly sent hundreds of e-mails from a private address while serving as Senior Advisor to the White House. Trump said that she was "very innocent" and that this situation was very different from the one for which he had declared that her 2016 rival, Hillary Clinton, should be in jail.
– He defended his acting Attorney General, Matthew Whitaker, calling him "a highly respected person" whom the press had treated maliciously.
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Follow Colvin on Twitter at https://twitter.com/colvinj
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