Mitch McConnell on Mexico paying for Trump's border wall: 'Uh, no'

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Thursday he doesn't expect Mexico to pay for the wall that President Trump has been promising along America's southern border.

The GOP was asked if he thinks Mexico will pay for the wall during an interview with Politico -- to which he flatly responded, "Uh, no."

Where the wall already exists along the US-Mexico border

The border wall became one of Trump's key campaigning points during the 2016 election. The proposed wall is expected to potentially cost $21.6 billion and take three years to construct, according to NBC News.

Trump responded to those reports saying he would use his skills as a negotiator to bring the cost of the wall "WAY DOWN," in a tweet in February.

If McConnell's two word prediction turns out to be right, American taxpayers will end up footing the bill.

Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto has also repeatedly refuted Trump's claims that his country will pay for the wall.

SEE MORE: Trump administration takes major step toward building border wall

Trump has argued that he will find ways to use tariffs and other fees to force the country to reimburse the costs of the wall after it has been built. It remains unclear how successful that approach could be or what specifics he would take to ensure it.

Trump has said the barrier would run along approximately half of the nearly 2,000-mile border that separates the United States from Mexico. Fences and other forms of barrier already run along approximately 700 miles of that border.