Washington, January 18 (RHC)-- U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday defended his proposed wall along the U.S. southern border, saying his position “has never changed or evolved,” and that Mexico would pay for the barrier “directly, or indirectly.”  “

The Wall is the Wall, it has never changed or evolved from the first day I conceived of it,” Trump wrote in a pair of early morning tweets. “The $20-billion-dollar Wall is ‘peanuts’ compared to what Mexico makes from the U.S.  NAFTA is a bad joke!” he twitted.

Trump´s assertion contradicts that of his Chief of Staff, John Kelly, who said  the president´s views on immigration and on a border wall had “very definitely changed” after Trump had briefed him on the subjects.

Kelly’s comments came amid a shaky effort to craft an accord protecting hundreds of thousands of young immigrants from deportation – a push the White House and Republicans say they would support if it is coupled with tough border security measures and other restrictions.