White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders confirmed Wednesday that President Donald Trump will visit California next week, a journey that is expected to include a San Diego-area stop so he can view border wall prototypes.
Sanders did not give details of the trip, confirming only that Trump "will be headed to California next week."
The Washington Post reported last week that Trump plans to visit the San Diego area to view the eight, 30-foot-tall border wall prototypes that have been erected in Otay Mesa. The trip will also include a Republican National Committee fundraiser in Los Angeles, The Post reported.
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The trip will be Trump's first to California since taking office. Asked why it has taken Trump so long to visit the state, Sanders said, "I think it's because he's been busy growing the economy, creating jobs, defeating ISIS, remaking the judiciary."
Confirmation of the trip came on the heels of a lawsuit filed against California by the U.S. Department of Justice challenging a trio of state laws that offer protections to people living in the country illegally. Trump has been openly critical of the state's political leaders and policies.
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"They're doing a lousy management job, they have the highest taxes in the nation and they don't know what's happening out there. Frankly, it's a disgrace, the sanctuary city situation, the protection of these horrible criminals," Trump said last month.
The wall prototypes represent the signature promise of Trump's campaign: to build a "big, beautiful wall" along the U.S.-Mexico border.
He has so far been unsuccessful in his attempts to have Mexico pay for the wall, as he had promised, nor has he been able to secure $18 billion for the project from Congress, which would pay for 300 miles of new barriers and the replacement of 400 miles of existing fencing, according to The Post.
