CNN host Chris Cuomo criticized Democrats for their part in the ongoing clash with Republicans and President Donald Trump on border wall funding.
Appearing briefly on “CNN Tonight With Don Lemon” Wednesday night, Cuomo took particular aim at Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s refusal to budget a single dollar toward wall funding. He also expressed his agreement with and his belief in the “men and women who keep us safe” who say they need more border barriers.
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“I have no problem with that assessment,” Cuomo said, responding to Lemon’s claim that Trump’s rhetoric on the wall is “all B.S.” The CNN host lamented the “binary nature” of the debate, with both sides seemingly on each extreme, before stating that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s “dollar” comment puts Democrats “in a hole.”
Look, here’s the reality. You’ve got barriers along that thing all over the place. They need more. I believe the men and women who keep us safe and their assessment that barriers help and they need more of it. So the Democrats should say, “Fine. More barriers. Okay. Let’s talk about where, how much and why,” not, “No wall, not a dollar for your damn wall.” Don’t say that because you don’t mean it and it puts you in a hole.
Cuomo also insisted that conservatives, whom he characterized as believing “we’re a wall away from safety,” should “abandon” the belief because it’s “disruptive” and “delusional.” (RELATED: Tucker Asks Liberal Radio Host If Wall Works In Israel)
“When someone says it, say, well, that was already in the works,” Lemon added. “That is part of deals that were made years and decades ago. That’s what we were doing, and we will continue to do that, and we can make it better. But we should not sit here and pretend that there have been no efforts in the past to build a barrier on the southern border.”
“I agree,” responded Cuomo. “But the Democrats put themselves in a hole when they say no money for the wall. They’re not giving themselves credit for the money they have put in, for what is really the wall, for the fencing. So there’s politics at play on both sides, but the president put us in a shutdown. He pushed it too far.”
Both CNN hosts agreed that “most of the blame” should go to President Trump, but the “solution and the way forward” would need to come from both sides.