President Donald Trump declared a national emergency to build a border wall on the southern border during an announcement delivered from the White House Rose Garden Friday morning.
Trump said the wall is "necessary" and "everyone knows it" before announcing he will sign the emergency declaration later in the day. He cited precedent from other presidents, saying "there's rarely been a problem" in the past with signing such an order.
"They sign it. Nobody cares," Trump said. "I guess they weren't very exciting. But nobody cares, they sign it—for far less important things in some cases, in many cases."
Trump went on to emphasize the importance of building a border wall to guard the United States against an "invasion" of crime.
"We're talking about an invasion of our country with drugs, with human traffickers, with all types criminals and gangs," he said.
After announcing that he would be declaring a national emergency, Trump requested that his "angel mothers," mothers of children killed by illegal immigrants, stand up and show pictures of their children to those gathered in the Rose Garden.
On Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) announced that Trump will sign a spending bill that provides less money than the president requested to build a border wall. McConnell also said Trump will declare a national emergency to make up the difference for the money not provided in the legislation.
House Democrats said on Thursday they would fight Trump on the national emergency. Rep. Joaquin Castro (D., Texas) called Trump's proposal a "fake emergency," during an interview on CNN.
"I am prepared, if the president does declare a national emergency to build his border wall, to file a joint resolution under the National Emergencies Act that would essentially terminate his declaration," Castro said.
Trump addressed the push back in his speech, predicting that he will win in the end.
"We will have a national emergency. And we will then be sued, and they will sue us in the Ninth Circuit even though it shouldn't be there," he said. "And we will possibly get a bad ruling, and then we will get another bad ruling, and then we will end up in the Supreme Court, and hopefully we will get a fair shake, and win in the Supreme Court."