President Trump, six days before the midterm elections, has now tripled up, telling reporters he now wants to send 15,000 U.S. troops to the nation’s Southern border. Those troops would be away from their families for the Thanksgiving and likely Christmas holidays, as the migrants are weeks if not months away.
Originally, when Trump first made the announcement, 800 were projected. That number exploded into 5,200 on Monday. Two days later, he has tripled the number to 15,000.
It’s unknown how much the move will cost taxpayers, but estimates have ranged from tens of millions to over $100 million.
Reuters’ Jeff Mason and The Washington Post’s Matt Viser first reported the news.