President Trump issues his first veto – “It is definitely a national emergency … Therefore to defend the safety and security of all Americans, I will be signing and issuing a formal veto of this reckless resolution and that’s what it was.” said Trump.
Trump declared in the Oval Office, “Congress has the freedom to pass this resolution and I have the duty to veto it”.
While Congress on its own did not have the numbers to override the national emergency declaration, twelve of Trump’s fellow Republicans joined the opposition to pass the resolution to end the emergency declaration. This act of betrayal left Trump politically wounded, at least momentarily, as immigration and his planned wall along the US Mexico border will become a flashpoint again in the 2020 elections. He just overruled a resolution to terminate his national emergency declaration using his first veto.
Before issuing the veto, Trump said there was a tremendous national emergency, while US Attorney General William Barr said the action the president had taken was legal.
Right after the veto, US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on March 26 the chamber will vote on overriding it.
Accusing the President of a “lawless power grab”, Pelosi said in a statement: “On March 26, the House will once again act to protect our Constitution and our democracy from the president’s emergency declaration by holding a vote to override his veto.”