The economics of Donald Trump’s wall
DONALD TRUMP is a man of ideas. Although
critics have lambasted him for flip-flopping on some policies (he now
proposes to ban immigrants from "terrorist nations" rather than all
Muslims), Mr Trump has stood firm on at least one proposal: his wall. A
new report from Bernstein Research looks at the economics of the wall's
construction.
The border between the United
States and Mexico stretches 1,989 miles (3,200km), but the wall itself
needn’t be as long thanks to the preponderance of natural borders such
as the Rio Grande. Assuming a length of 1,000 miles and a height of 40
feet (12 metres), Bernstein reckon that the wall would require $711m
worth of concrete and $240m worth of cement. Including labour, the total
cost of between $15 billion and $25 billion is a bit more than Mr
Trump's suggested $10 billion. (Bernstein’s estimates presumably do not
factor in Mr Trump’s construction expertise.)
As
it is not economically feasible to transport cement and concrete across
great distances, the biggest business beneficiaries will likely be
within 200 miles of the border. America has many more factories and
quarries than Mexico, yet Mr Trump is adamant that the wall will be
built with Mexican money. Cemex, a Mexican firm with around half the
quarries close to the border, is likely to profit. At least some will
benefit from the wall’s construction.
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