President Donald Trump still wants to paint the border wall black.
The president has wavered back and forth on the topic and is again pushing for the paint job, The Washington Post reports.
The project, which is estimated to add at least $500 million in costs, is something Trump wants to see because he believes the dark color will make the steel bollards too hot to touch in the upcoming summer months.
The argument was brought up last fall and military commanders and border officials talked him out of adding the paint, according to the newspaper.
But his paint request has been renewed, sources told The Washington Post. During a meeting last month, Trump told senior adviser Jared Kushner and aides to get cost estimates for the paint job, according to four administration officials.
“POTUS has changed his mind and now wants the fence painted. We are modifying contracts to add,” said one official involved in the construction effort.
The Post obtained a copy of painting estimates that range from $500 million for two coats of acrylic paint to more than $3 billion for a premium “powder coating” on the structure’s 30-foot steel bollards.
The White House has not selected a specific grade of paint, but Trump has requested the barrier be black to discourage climbers. He has favored “flat black” or “matte black” because of the shades’ heat-absorbent properties.
A White House official said Trump thinks the black paint would make the wall more difficult to climb and less likely to rust.
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