Claim
Reporting
On September 17 2019, the Facebook page “For America” shared the following border wall meme (archived here):
An image of what was heavily implied to be United States President Donald Trump’ promised “border wall” (in actuality, fence) was wrapped with the following text:
YES IT’S REAL, AND ISN’T IT MAGNIFICENT?
“THE WALL”
Although the meme did not articulate its underlying claim, it was heavily implied — despite protestations that Trump’s border wall project was stalled or not progressing, the administration had in fact built sections of “the wall.” Consequently, newly-built “wall” was both “real” and “magnificent.”
This implication was apparent in appended commentary made by the For America page in its post: “It is coming along nicely!”
Commenters largely lauded perceived progress on the border wall — a centerpiece of Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign — and shared observations about the impact of the purportedly new wall (as well as lamentations that the wall hadn’t been built earlier):
It brings a tear to my eye and a smile to my face. I wish it was 50 feet high and 30 feet in the ground.
All citizens of this great land should be so grateful we have a President who finally thinks the lives and safety of Americans come first.
Thanks to this is why all of our stuff is going up in the US.. if truth be told you would have to put that same wall around Florida too… For those coming in illegally from the islands ?!?!?
I think it’s great it’s about time with this it should have happened years ago
The “For America” page did not include any information about the location or build date for the purportedly “real” new wall section shown in the photo. That image actually belongs to an Adobe stock photograph gallery, and it had nothing at all to do with the Trump administration.
A caption for the image read:
Children play at a newly built section of the U.S.-Mexico border wall at Sunland Park, U.S. opposite the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico November 18, 2016. Picture taken from the Mexico side of the U.S.-Mexico border. Picture taken November 18, 2016. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez
The “real” and “magnificent” wall depicted in the meme was photographed on November 18 2016, during the presidency of Barack Obama. Donald Trump was not inaugurated until January 20 2017.
