Trump says his Mexico wall will be like the Great Wall of China. Here’s why that comparison is terrible

During his speech Tuesday night from campaign headquarters in Florida, Donald Trump invoked the Great Wall of China when justifying the feasibility of his plan to erect a wall along the US-Mexico border.

“The Great Wall of China, built 2,000 years ago, is 13,000 miles long, folks,” the Republican presidential frontrunner said. “And they didn’t have ... tractors, they didn’t have cranes, they didn’t have excavation equipment.”

His remarks echoed comments made in August when he told Fox News anchor Bill O’Reilly that his proposed border wall would be “peanuts” compared with what the ancient Chinese accomplished.

While Trump’s departure from his usual loud complaints about China is welcome, Trump should keep in mind a few facts about the Great Wall the next time he draws the parallel.

Yes, Trump is technically right that the entire Great Wall of China spans about 21,000km: a landmark survey by Chinese authorities in 2012 found that its overlapping series of fortifications measured more than double previous estimates. But the Great Wall was built over an extended period in different phases and locations.

It also took a very long time to build.