Trump speaks to state attorneys general at White House
President Trump addressed the National Association of Attorneys General at the White House Monday, shortly after 16 states sued his administration over his declaration of a national emergency along the southern border. Six of those attorneys general were on the attendees list Monday.
The lawsuit, spearheaded by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, also comes as the Senate appears to have enough Republican votes to rebuke Mr. Trump's declaration. The states suing Mr. Trump include California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and Virginia.
Forty-three of the association's 56 members from states and territories are in Washington for the group's winter meeting.
Mr. Trump made no headlines and took no questions in his address Monday afternoon, but he did address what he has described as a crisis at the southern border.
"We fight wars 6,000 miles away," the president told the room. "We spend millions and billions of dollars and we don't even control our own border. Drug traffickers and human traffickers exploit our porous border to finance their ruthless operations."
Mr. Trump is facing criticism not only over his emergency declaration, but also his handling of his summit last week with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Mr. Trump, who calls Kim his "friend," walked away from what he described as an unacceptable offer from North Korea, but insisted he would take Kim "at his word" when Kim says he was unaware of the treatment of American student Otto Warmbier. Warmbier died after he was released from North Korean custody in a coma. Warmbier's parents released a blistering statement insisting the North Korean regime is entirely responsible for their son's death.
