President Trump said Friday he could declare a national emergency on the border and order his government to build fencing without needing to go to Congress for additional funding.

“I can do it if I want,” he said, adding, “I may do it.”

US President Donald Trump has said he could declare a national emergency to build a US-Mexico border wall without the approval of Congress.

It came after he met senior Democrats, who refused his requests for funding.

The stand-off has seen Mr Trump withhold support for a bill to fully fund the government until he gets money for the border wall.

WASHINGTON—President Trump said he was considering declaring a national emergency to build a southern border wall if Congress doesn’t fund it, following a Friday meeting with congressional leaders that both Mr. Trump and Democratic lawmakers described as contentious.

It isn’t clear how Mr. Trump would fund a wall under that scenario, and Mr. Trump would almost certainly face legal challenges if he were to attempt such a move.