Fox and Friends put on a guest it looked like they hoped would back Trump's forced government shutdown over funding his wall, but instead he called on Mitch McConnell to negotiate with Democrats and explained why a massive wall is not helpful for border security.
Doocy conducted the questions as if Noorani was supporting Trump and his proposals, but as the interview proceeded, Ali Nooran, from the National Immigration Forum gave a concise explanation on how the debate should proceed.
Doocy discussed how Trump is not going to cave on this being the negotiator he is, but that Nancy Pelosi and Shuck Schumer are going to have t understand that he far left is misguide.
That's when Noorani brought in the very absent Mitch McConnell into the discussion.
"You know, Senator McConnell cannot just crack open that door, he can say, 'All right, here is a seat at the table. Let’s figure this out.' And if he puts that seat at the table and Schumer and Pelosi don’t take it, then it’s on them," he told Doocy. "Right now Trump and McConnell are frankly making it too easy for the Democrats by saying 'It’s our way or the highway.' "
He went on, as Media Matters noted.
STEVE DOOCY (CO-HOST): It was Nancy Pelosi in the last six months or so go -- she said, "I am a master legislator." Well, legislate. And one of the things when you legislate is, you get a deal, and, to get a deal, both sides wind up getting something. Both sides don't walk away empty-handed. In this proposal that the president made on television on Saturday, the Democrats are getting a lot of the things they have wanted in the past. An extension on DACA, other things, lot of money for humanitarian purposes. But, they seem so inflexible about, we don't want to give him a nickel for that stinking wall.
ALI NOORANI (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NATIONAL IMMIGRATION FORUM): You know, so we work with a lot of folks along the border, from law enforcement, to mayors, to business leaders, and they tell us, you know what? Putting up a big wall, that doesn't really help them from a security perspective or from a trade perspective. So, we think that if we're going to secure our border, let's put money at ports of entry. That's where drugs are being smuggled. That's where the security threats are. So, we think that -- we can figure out what's a wall, what's a fence. But let's focus on the ports of entry, because that's where the threat is.
When credible people discuss border security, they all say a big wall is useless. Will Trump listen if they say it to his Fox Friends?
