Trump’s border wall will be built by firm handed $1.3 billion deal after they praised the president on Fox News

The Trump administration has reportedly inked a $1.3bn deal with a North Dakota construction firm aiming to build 42 miles of border wall after its CEO praised the president in multiple interviews with conservative media.

While Fisher Sand and Gravel was initially passed over in its bids to secure the government’s recent border wall contract, it won the deal after CEO Tommy Fisher took to Fox News and other networks closely watched by President Donald Trump to celebrate his efforts along the US-Mexico border.

The contract was the largest ever awarded in what has become a historically expensive infrastructure project, according to the Washington Post, amounting to more than $30m on average per mile for 42 miles in total of border wall construction in Arizona.

Fisher Sand and Gravel was also previously awarded another $400m contract that has become the subject of an audit by the US Department of Defence’s inspector general, the newspaper reported on Tuesday, following concerns from Democrats about how the deal was made with the White House administration.

The Corps of Engineers confirmed the deal had been made with the construction firm, telling the Washington Post in a statement: “Each project cost is contingent upon its unique characteristics such as geotechnical, topographical, hydrological and hydraulic, underground utilities, final real estate access, and the cost of materials and labour.”

Raini Brunson, spokesperson for the Corps of Engineers, also appeared to provide a defence for the staggering price tag, saying the contract includes “a series of projects within a geographical area with more complex terrain”.

The latest contract was first reported by the Arizona Daily Star. It came after Mr Fisher pitched his firm on conservative outlets and right-wing programmes like The Ingraham Angle on Fox News with Laura Ingraham, where he responded to a growing backlash about the president’s vow to build a “big, beautiful wall” spanning the entirety of the nation’s southern border.

During that interview, the CEO promised his construction company could build Mr Trump’s wall faster than any other firm.

“I guarantee — no different from Tom Brady — that once we get in we never come out, and if we don’t perform, the president can fire us,” he said. “That’s how comfortable and confident I am when people see what we really offer.”

The deal reportedly became more expensive after the president demanded the border wall be painted black, a decision that added an estimated $500m to the total cost.

Mr Trump has reportedly heaped praise on Mr Fisher and his construction firm in White House discussions, while claiming the black paint would singe migrants if they attempted to climb the security fencing.

“It speaks volumes to the administration’s lack of transparency that they didn’t announce this award — the largest ever — and we continue to learn about contracts to companies without a proven track record from the media,” Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said in a statement to the Washington Post. “Given the coronavirus pandemic and the ongoing investigation into Fisher, the administration should pause construction and contracting decisions until the investigation has concluded favourably and it is safe to resume nonessential construction projects.”