Trump told graduates to ‘go through’ and ‘go over’ a concrete wall in a 2004 speech

As President Donald Trump battles with congressional Democrats over funding for a border wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, a comment he made to college graduates about concrete walls surfaced.

During the speech — which he gave to graduates of Wagner College in 2004 — Trump gave advice for what someone should do if they encounter a metaphorical concrete wall, according to The Washington Post.

“If there’s a concrete wall in front of you, go through it, go over it, go around it,” he said, as seen in a video recording of the speech. “But get to the other side of that wall.”

The video clip garnered attention after Trevor Noah aired it on “The Daily Show” Wednesday night, according to USA Today.

Some took to Twitter to poke fun at the decade-old comment.

Trump has been adamant on receiving $5.7 billion in funding for the border wall, which he originally said would be made out of concrete, but later added that it could be a steel barrier, according to NPR. But led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, congressional Democrats have so far refused to provide that funding — leading to a partial government shutdown that has gone on for nearly three weeks.

The partial shutdown has left around 800,000 government workers without pay.

It would be the longest-ever shutdown if it continues into Saturday, as reported by CNN.

This story was originally published January 10, 2019 at 11:02 AM with the headline "Trump told graduates to ‘go through’ and ‘go over’ a concrete wall in a 2004 speech."