Trump wants border wall black, pointed: report

President Trump reportedly told officials he wants the wall at the U.S.-Mexico border to be made up of a steel bollard fence painted “flat black” so it’s too hot to climb in the summer. 

He also wants the bollards or “slats” to be pointed and has graphically described injuries climbers could sustain, officials told The Washington Post. Current and former officials told the newspaper that the president is micromanaging the project and that his changing directions have caused confusion among engineers and staffers. 

{mosads}The president has reportedly also complained that the wall’s current design has too many gates and that its gaps are too large. 

Trump has reportedly often summoned Department of Homeland Security (DHS) personnel to discuss the wall with little notice, sometimes waking up former DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. He has also reportedly discussed the design with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Lt. Gen. Todd T. Semonite on multiple occasions, saying that it should be intimidating yet good-looking. 

“He thinks it’s ugly,” an official told the Post of the wall’s design. 

Trump’s changing tastes are potentially driving up the price of the project. He remains adamant that the barrier should be painted black, despite warnings that it would significantly increase construction costs and maintenance budgets.

“Once you paint it, you always have to paint it,” an official said. 

The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment. 

Trump earlier this year declared a national emergency to divert billions in funding to the border wall’s construction after Congress declined to meet his demands for $5 billion.