Pence compares Trump to Martin Luther King Jr. over border wall negotiations

The day before the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, Vice President Mike Pence compared President Donald Trump to the civil rights icon in advocating for a border wall deal to end the ongoing partial government shutdown.

During an appearance on CBS News’ ‘Face the Nation’ Sunday, Pence voiced his support for Trump and finding a compromise solution with Democrats before reflecting on the forthcoming day to honor Dr. King.

“One of my favorite quotes from Dr. King was, ‘Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy.’ You think of how he changed America,” the vice president said. “He inspired us to change through the legislative process to become a more perfect union. That’s exactly what President Trump is calling on the Congress to do. Come to the table in a spirit of good faith.”

Pence’s comments come a day after Trump gave a public address offering the Democrats temporary concessions on select immigration policies including the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in exchange for funding his $5.7 billion border wall with Mexico.

However, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rejected the offer, calling it “unacceptable,” and Trump lashed out at her in response, saying, she has “behaved so irrationally & has gone so far to the left that she has now officially become a Radical Democrat.”

The political fight is taking place amid the longest-ever government shutdown which is affecting the paychecks of around 800,000 federal workers.