Former President Donald Trump has again criticized the Biden administration's handling of border wall materials, characterizing their sale at significantly reduced prices as evidence of either incompetence or malice towards the nation. During a Mar-a-Lago press conference, Trump accused the administration of selling the materials for "pennies on the dollar" and then allowing private entities to attempt reselling them to the incoming Trump administration at a substantial markup.
Trump claimed these private companies were "calling us up" offering to sell the materials back at double the original price. He highlighted the irony of buying back materials at inflated prices after the government had sold them cheaply. Trump questioned the administration's motives, asserting, "They were making deals."
The Biden administration's auctioning of border wall components, initiated in 2023 following the 2021 halt in construction, has been a point of contention. A Department of Defense representative confirmed to Fox News Digital that a significant portion of these materials had been sold to GovPlanet, a government surplus retailer. This practice was subsequently stopped by a court order secured by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton following legal action.
Trump previously labeled these sales as "nearly criminal," estimating a cost of "hundreds of millions of dollars" to taxpayers. He reiterated this point, emphasizing the high quality of the materials – "steel, concrete, rebar… Everything was top of the line" – and the absurdity of repurchasing them at a premium. He suggested the most logical solution would have been to simply leave the materials in place.
Trump's sharp criticism reflects his ongoing disapproval of the Biden administration's border policies. He concluded by stating that their actions either stem from a deep-seated animosity toward the country or a profound lack of understanding.
