Yamiche Alcindor: Trump’s Address Tonight Is All About Talking to His Base; The Wall Is a Political Symbol

EXCERPT:

ALCINDOR: “Most of the people were stopped, as DHS sources have told me for years, they’re mostly stopped at the airports. And drugs, as the President has talked about a lot saying immigrants are criminals, the drugs are usually smuggled into vehicles through legal points of entry. So with all that said, Mike Pence told reporters yesterday — I was sitting at the table just across from him — he said the President has looked into declaring a national emergency, he’s had his legal team look at that, but he wouldn’t go further than what the President said. Right now they’re saying he’s considering it, it’s something he will possibly do. But the way that they were talking, the fact that they kept on using the word emergency, they kept on saying this was something that was urgent, the Vice President actually told reporters, 'I hate the word base, this is not about politics.' When we know the President coming on TV at 9:00, a prime time, it’s all about talking to his base, it’s all about politics, and really this wall is a political symbol."