In 2020, Joe Biden regularly excoriated then-President Donald Trump's efforts to build a wall along America's southern border.
Yet as anger grows in Democratic cities over a massive influx of illegal migrants, the White House has all but conceded that Trump was right.
According to Reuters, the White House announced on Thursday that it is using funds allocated during Trump's time in office to construct an additional 20 miles of border wall.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas released a statement in which he insisted that there is "no new Administration policy with respect to border walls" as the funds in question were set aside in 2019.
However, Mayorkas argued in a Federal Registry notice that "[t]here is presently an acute and immediate need to construct physical barriers and roads in the vicinity of the border of the United States in order to prevent unlawful entries into the United States."
What's more, USA Today reported that 26 federal laws have been temporarily waived in order expedite the construction process.
Critics were quick to point out that the push for new wall construction represents a massive reversal given Biden's past statements.
Folks, it really is all about the receipts—all day/every day 🤩💯 https://t.co/xhraM6OLa1
— Kathie has all the #Receipts💅ツ✿🇺🇸🐻🧡✝️ (@MustangGirl3) October 6, 2023
Other recalled how Vice President Kamala Harris once slammed the border wall as "Trump's medieval vanity project."
Congress did not appropriate these funds for Trump's medieval vanity project. Let's be clear: Trump's wall has never been about keeping the American people safe. https://t.co/tlZ9GRp7Wd
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) July 27, 2019
The controversy comes as several recent polls have shown President Joe Biden trailing former President Donald Trump ahead of next year's election, particularly when it comes to immigration and border security.
An NBC News survey released this past week found that voters trust Republicans to handle those issues over Democrats by an 18-point margin.
Still, some on the left don't believe the president is doing himself any favors by erecting a border barrier. One of them is Guardian columnist Moustafa Bayoumi, who asked, "Why is Joe Biden campaigning for Donald Trump?"
"This is like throwing red meat to Trump’s base, who will chomp and salivate over what they will portray as an admission of defeat by the Democrats on securing the border," Bayoumi wrote in an article published on Friday.
