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Twitter users react to national emergency plan, point to 2014 Trump tweet

by Owen Daugherty - 02/14/19 5:12 PM ET

News of President Trump’s plan to declare a national emergency for a border wall prompted Twitter users on Thursday to resurface a 2014 tweet from Trump that argued against allowing then President Obama to “subvert the Constitution.”

“Repubs must not allow Pres Obama to subvert the Constitution of the US for his own benefit & because he is unable to negotiate w/ Congress,” Trump wrote on Nov. 20, 2014.

Repubs must not allow Pres Obama to subvert the Constitution of the US for his own benefit & because he is unable to negotiate w/ Congress.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 20, 2014

Obama at the time had just announced an executive action to protect millions of immigrants without legal status from deportation.

{mosads}Both liberals and conservatives on Twitter highlighted Trump’s previous tweet as he seeks to use a national emergency to construct a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Always, always, always a tweet. https://t.co/HQtCHXe974

— Charlie Sykes (@SykesCharlie) February 14, 2019

Conservative columnist Erick Erickson, who declared himself “Never Trump” during the 2016 campaign but gave his endorsement to Trump this week for 2020, said the tweet served as another reason as to why the president should not declare a national emergency.

Another reason the President should not use an emergency declaration. https://t.co/n0LIzVuwfP

— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) February 14, 2019

The Senate on Thursday passed a spending bill that includes funding for fencing but not a wall, prompting Trump to say he will declare a national emergency in order to secure the money.

A gem from the vault, November 20, 2014. In which Trump tells Republicans not to let Obama “subvert the Constitution” for “his own benefit and because he is unable to negotiate w/ Congress.” https://t.co/XILzzZXVoj

— Christina Wilkie (@christinawilkie) February 14, 2019