President Donald Trump said he won't consider a government shutdown over funding for his proposed border wall along the U.S.-Mexico border until after the November midterm elections.
In an interview with "Fox & Friends" that aired Friday, Trump said he doesn't want to hurt the Republican party's chances during midterms. If it were up to him, Trump said, he would "shut down the government over border security."
"We need Republicans elected in the midterms," Trump said. "We are getting the wall done. But I've had so many people, good people, great people, [say] they would rather not do [it] before [the midterms], they'd rather do it right after the election."
Government funding runs out at the end of this month. Republicans controlling the White House and both houses of Congress are worried that a shutdown could hurt the party in November's critical midterm elections.
In July, the president threatened to let funding lapse if Congress did not authorize the roughly $25 billion he seeks for the proposed barrier on the U.S.-Mexico border.
In the Fox interview, Trump said he expects his party will do well during the elections, citing the "strongest economy we've ever had" and the tax cuts passed last year.
Trump said the administration will focus on the wall immediately after the midterm elections, adding he's has a "commitment" from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Speaker Paul Ryan, and "from everybody."
The White House did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment.
— CNBC's Jacob Pramuk contributed to this report.