Trump pitched solar panels for his border wall to help cover the costs

In a meeting Tuesday with Republican leaders, Trump reportedly suggested putting solar panels on the proposed US-Mexico border wall, and letting the generated electricity from the panels cover some of the costs.

Citing three people with direct knowledge of the talks on Tuesday, Axios reported Trump wanted wall to be 40 to 50 feet tall, and covered with solar panels. According to the report, Trump called such a wall, which is intended to prevent people from entering the US illegally, a "beautiful structure."

Trump reportedly told the Republican lawmakers they were free to talk about the wall as long as they credited him with the solar panels idea, however it was unclear whether the proposal was under serious consideration.

Trump's pitch is similar to one the Associated Press reported on in April that was submitted to the government by Gleason Partners of Las Vegas. That company said solar panels on a border wall could pay for the wall within 20 years through energy sales to the US and Mexico. Electricity generated from the panels "would provide for lighting, sensors and patrol stations along the wall," the Associated Press reported.

Here are other wall-related proposals, as reported by the AP:

• A tourist attraction with artwork and desert views
• A nuclear waste storage area
• Making the wall out of ballistic concrete
• Making the wall into a "no man's land" "co-nation" between the US and Mexico with a "hyperloop transportation system."