Quora Answer: What Could Donald John Trump Offer Democrats to Entice Them to Give US$5 Billion for a Border Wall?

The following is my answer to a Quora question: “What could Donald John Trump offer the Democrats that would entice them to give him US$5 billion for a border wall?  Why will Mexico not just pay for it, so we can just open up our government?”

How would Americans feel if Canadians put up a multi-billion-dollar border wall to keep Americans out?  I would think this would be quite obvious.  Or, are you so entitled that you believe the rest of the world is obligated to give the US money so their idiot presidents can keep stupid promises?

Firstly, the sort of wall Donald John Trump wants is not going to cost five billion dollars.  Land acquisition costs along the proposed path of this wall is likely to cost more than that.  Five billion is a number pulled from fantasy, and it is not going to build anything more than a white elephant.  Many illegals tend to be either legal visitors who overstay, or come via stowing away on ships and planes.  Whilst there are numbers who cross the border, better policing is the answer, not a wall.  What use is a wall when cartels and human smugglers are digging elaborate tunnels?

Secondly, just as Trump is playing to his base, his idiocracy, the Democrats are playing to their base, who can be just as extreme.  It would not benefit Democrat politicians to be seen to cave in to Trump.  Their base would never forget this betrayal.  The era of politicians compromising across the aisle in the two Houses is over.