-The president delivered a primetime address last night
on the government shutdown that he started over his border wall.
For more on this, it's time for "A Closer Look."
[ Cheers and applause ]
This was Trump's first Oval Office address.
Normally, that's a solemn occasion,
and one of the weightiest things a president does.
But as usual, Trump found a way to make it weird.
After the speech, he tweeted,
"Thank you. So many nice comments
regarding my Oval Office speech --
a very interesting experience."
"A very interesting experience"?
He reacted to addressing the nation from the Oval Office
the same way my grandpa did to tapas.
[ Laughter ]
Also, if it was so interesting,
why didn't you open you eyes more?
[ Laughter ]
You could have fit 10 of yours into one Pelosi.
[ Laughter ]
[ Distinct laughter ]
[ Cheers and applause ]
-I love jokes about politics.
It's a great joke.
-Whoa, whoa. I have a question.
Andy...
Andy, what are you doing out here?
-Oh, nothing. I just figured, since "Closer Look"
is the thing from the show everyone watches online,
I'd try to be in it and get some views.
What's up, YouTube?
[ Cheers and applause ]
-Hey, people watch this show live.
-Eh. -Just get out of here.
-Watch "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" on Thursday!
[ Cheers and applause ]
-Now everyone's gonna want to do that.
Now, it's worth taking a step back
and remembering how we got here.
We all know the wall was the most memorable promise
of Trump's campaign, and refrained at all of his rallies.
And no matter he much he talked about building a physical wall,
to many of his supporters,
the wall remained an imaginary thing.
We're at a weird point where Trump is basically the last guy
who wants a wall.
I mean, it's fun to chant "Build the wall,"
but they didn't expect it to happen
any more than they expected Trump to actually lock her up.
If you go to a Mets game, you chant "Let's go Mets,"
but you don't really expect them to go.
[ Laughter ]
[ Cheers and applause ]
Which might explain why, early on, there were so few details
about how the wall would actually be built.
In fact, it took a question from a child in the crowd
at one of Trump's rallies in 2015
to find out what the wall would even be made of.
First, here's the question --
-Okay. A young man -- come on. Young guy.
-So, you're going to build the wall.
What's it going to be made out of?
-Oh.
-[ Mockingly ] "Oh."
[ Laughter ]
"Oh, [bleep]. Why did I let a kid ask a question?"
[ Laughter ]
I will say -- I hate watching Trump be president,
but I would love watching a show
where kids get to ask him questions.
[ High-pitched voice ] "Mr. Trump, where do people go when they die?"
-They're going to China. They're going to Japan.
They're going all over the place.
"Grandpa's in Japan!"
[ Laughter ]
[ Normal voice ] But amazingly, the exchange with Trump gets weirder,
because Trump then invited the kid on stage
to repeat his question while holding him up to the mic.
And eventually, Trump gave him an answer.
-Lift him up here. Bring him up here.
[ Cheers and applause ]
Come on.
-What -- what are the walls going to be made...?
-Go ahead. Ask it.
-What are the walls going to be made out of?
-I'll tell you what it's gonna be made of.
It's gonna be made of hardened concrete,
and it's gonna be made out of rebar and steel.
-Why does he hold the kid up like that?
[ Laughter ]
That kid's face looks like he's being carried away by a falcon.
[ Laughter ]
[ Cheers and applause ]
So...
[ Applause ]
...Trump said very clearly
the wall would be made from concrete.
In fact, as the campaign went on,
and even after he became president,
he made lots of specific promises about the wall --
who would pay for it, what we should call it,
and how high it would be.
He also repeatedly floated a price tag for the wall --
a price tag that seemed to change
basically any time he opened his mouth.
-So, let's say it costs $4 billion or $5 billion.
So, if the wall costs $6 billion to build...
You mean to tell me I can't take $7 billion and build a wall?
Well, it's probably $8 billion.
The wall is $10 billion to $12 billion.
I think for $18 billion or less, we're gonna have a great wall.
We're talking about a wall for $20 billion.
And they did agree to a $25 billion wall.
-He's a like a rich guy
yelling from the "Price Is Right" audience
who doesn't know how much things cost.
"How much is this detergent?" "3 billion. $3 billion."
Trump just made stuff up off the top of his head
because the wall was a ridiculous thing
he never thought he'd actually have to build.
At any point in the last two years,
Republicans -- who controlled the House and Senate --
could have given Trump money for the wall,
but the didn't, because it was obviously insane.
And now, in his desperation to get a deal,
he's throwing out everything he said about the wall
on the campaign trail -- from the fact that Mexico would pay
for 100% of it, to the fact that it would be made of concrete,
to the fact that it had to be called a "wall."
-You ran your campaign promising supporters
that Mexico was going to pay for the wall...
-Oh, here we go again. -...and that the wall was going to be made of concrete.
-I said I was gonna build a wall.
I never said "I'm gonna build a concrete --"
I said "I'm gonna build a wall."
Just so you don't -- 'cause I know you're not into
the construction business -- steel is stronger than concrete.
If I build this wall, or fence,
or anything the Democrats need to call it --
because I'm not into names, I'm into production.
So, if I have a steel wall --
or you could call it a steel "fence."
We mentioned the price that we want --
$5.6 billion -- very strongly.
'Cause numbers are thrown around.
You heard much higher numbers.
Those higher numbers were very much a misnomer.
You heard $20 billion and $25 billion.
-Yeah, that's true. We did hear that --
from you.
You told us it would cost anywhere from $4 billion
to $20 billion, Mexico would pay for it,
it would be a wall, not a fence,
and you told a child it would be made of concrete.
Although, I'm sure it's not the first time
Trump has lied to a child.
[ As Trump ] "Oh, no, of course, Eric.
You're definitely on the will."
[ Laughter ]
[ Normal voice ] We are in a self-inflicted political crisis
right now because Trump made up something dumb,
didn't think it through, and backed himself into a corner.
He had two years of total Republican control
to get it done, and he didn't.
And then, Democrats took control of the House,
and Trump said...
-Oh.
This has been "A Closer Look."
[ Cheers and applause ]