Pelosi on Trump’s veto threat: ‘We’ll fight him in the Congress’ and courts

The Senate likely has enough votes to pass a measure blocking Trump’s efforts to build a wall on the US southern border through emergency powers. With Republicans controlling 53 seats in the chamber, Senate Democrats need four GOP votes for the measure to pass, and Republican Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Thom Tillis of North Carolina have indicated they will vote in favor of the resolution.

Trump has vowed to veto the measure, which was introduced in the House and passed the chamber last week, with 13 Republicans voting with Democrats.

“Hopefully the President won’t veto it — or maybe he’ll just withdraw it, as some of his Republican, the Republican senators are asking him to do because they know that it undermines the Constitution of the United States,” Pelosi said.

Pelosi said Trump is “asking us to ignore the oath of office that we take to protect and defend the Constitution by this declaration.” She said she anticipates the resolution will pass the Senate.

If the President vetoes the measure, Congress would need two-thirds of its members in both chambers to overrule the veto, which is unlikely.

“I think it’s very hard to have a veto,” Pelosi said.

Pelosi said Trump’s declaration is “undermining our system of checks and balances,” which she described as the “wisdom of our Constitution.”