Mayor Margo responds to Trump’s claim he is “full of crap”

On Monday, President Donald Trump went before a nationally televised audience and took a veiled shot at the mayor of El Paso.

“I don’t care whether a mayor is a democrat or a republican,” President Trump said. “They’re full of crap when they say (a border barrier) hasn’t made a big difference (on crime).”

Republican Mayor Dee Margo said he first heard the insult on live television while watching the rally.

When asked about his first thought on the “full of crap” comment, the mayor joked: “Do I need to see a physician? Oh, I won’t go there.”

Margo insisted he is not opposed to a border barrier, but he doesn’t feel that is the sole deterrent of crime in El Paso.

“I wasn’t thrilled, that’s for sure,” he said. “We did not have this lawless community with a high crime rate prior to the fence being installed.”

Margo’s viewpoint differs with the highest ranking member of his own political party.

“I didn’t look at it as going against our president,” Margo said. “I looked at it as clarifying it on behalf of El Paso.”

While Margo admitted the wall has helped, he credits law enforcement with lowering the crime rate, especially the “Hold the Line” operation with the U.S. Border Patrol, which started in 1993.

The barrier “has helped as part of the process, but it didn’t dramatically change our crime rate,” Margo said.

The mayor said he attempted to meet with the president before his rally, but was unsuccessful.

“I’m not dismissing a physical barrier; I never have,” Margo said. “I would have loved to talk to the president about it.”