After saying that the federal government could use eminent domain to secure the land for the wall, Trump responded to a question about using his emergency powers to build the wall with a definitive "yes."

"Absolutely, we can call a national emergency. I haven't done it. I may do it. I may do it. We can call a national emergency and build it very quickly."

"It's another way of doing it. If we can do it through a negotiated process, we're giving that a shot."

According to the ABC News report, discussions about declaring a national emergency have been happening at "a working level" and that discussions have intensified as Democrats have continued to insist that they won't approve any funding for a border wall, and Trump has insisted that he has no intention of capitulating. On Friday, Trump rattled anxious furloughed federal workers by saying the shutdown could persist for "months or years".