that. nice and high, make the ceiling look like a little low ceiling. the taller it gets, the safer it gets. a real wall, not a toy wall. it s 10 feet fall and it s a fence. see the way they go over our fences. it s not a wall, it s a fence. people don t go over my wall. i want it to be so beautiful because maybe some day they re going to call it a trump wall. it s not a fence. it s a wall. i don t know how he gets around that. republicans are trying to help him around it business saying it s a metaphor and then he just walks it back and says, no, it s a wall. there s that and this. you know john kelly, you know mattis. these guys are leaving. and i guess my question is for you. what do you think your friends responsibility is as they leave this white house to talk about what they ve seen in there in very real terms with the democrats taking power, questions about the shutdown,
who is going to pay for the wall? mexico! not even a doubt. reporter: it propelled him to the top of the party is now why the president is insisting the government stay closed, at least until he gets what he wants. steel slats. we don t use the word wall necessarily. steel slats. reporter: that sounds a lot different than the pitch he made over and over again to his base. i m going to build a wall that s going to really a wall. it s not going to a little wall, a big, beautiful wall. not a toy wall like we have now. it s not a wall, it s a fence. i m talking about a wall. see that ceiling up there in higher. that ceiling is peanuts, folks. there s no ladder going over that. if they ever get up they re saying, oh, man, how do i get down from this wall. reporter: and who is going to pay for it. it s going to be paid for by mexico, believe me 100%, 100%.
but steel slats. reporter: that sounds different than the pitch over and over to the base. i am going to build a wall, and a big beautiful wall, and not a toy wall like we have right now. and it is not a wall, but a little fence that is ten feet tall. i am talking about the wall. you see that ceiling up there, higher. you see that ceiling, it is peanuts. if they get up, they are going, oh, man, how do i get down from this wall. maybe a rope. reporter: both in terms of what is in a wall and who is going to the pay for it. i say that mexico is going to pay for it, and it is getting to be paid for by mexico, believe me, 100%. we are not paying for it. mexico is paying for it. reporter: that has since become indirect. saying that mexico is going to pay for it indirectly through the changed nafta deal.
well, that depends on which donald trump you ask. nbc news political reporter ali vitaly has more. are you big border people? reporter: few things are more trump than this. everybody wants the wall. who is going to pay for the wall? reporter: the promise that propelled him to the top of the republican party and into the white house in 2016 is now why trump is insisting the government stay close. i will shut down the government. reporter: at least until he gets what he wants. steel slats. we don t use the wall necessarily. steel slats. reporter: that sounds a lot different than the pitch he made over and over agan to his base. i m going to build a wall. it s going to be really a wall. it s not going to be a little wall. it s going to be a big, beautiful wall. it s got to be a real wall. not a toy wall like we have right now. and it s not a wall. it s a fence. it s ten feet tall and it s a fence. i m talking about a wall. see that ceiling up there? higher. see that ceil
necessarily. steel slats. that sounds different than the pitch he made over and over again to his base. it s going to be a big, beautiful wall. not a toy wall like we have right now. and it s not a little wall. it s a fence. i m talking about a wall. see that ceiling up there? higher. that ceiling is peanuts, folks. there s no ladder goes over that. if they ever get ip, they re saying, oh, man, how do i get down from this wall? both in terms of who is in a wall and who paid for it. and it s going to be paid for by mexico. believe me. 100%. mexico is better. that payment has since become indirect, trump saying mexico will pay through the not yet ratified trade deal we know the u.s., mexico and canada. but the white house has struggled to explain how that works. the wall will pay for itself on a monthly basis. as the president said, as we