Trump steps up his rhetoric on immigration, accusing Biden of starting a "bloodbath" at the border.
AP/Grand Rapids, Michigan While campaigning in two swing Midwestern states that could be crucial to the outcome of the 2024 election, Donald Trump escalated his incendiary rhetoric on Tuesday, accusing President Joe Biden of unleashing a "bloodbath" at the U.S.-Mexico border.
If he wins a second term, Trump, who has threatened to start the greatest domestic deportation operation in American history and accused immigrants of "poisoning the blood of the country," would accuse Biden of permitting a "bloodbath" that is "destroying the country." He used demeaning rhetoric in Michigan, referring to those in the country illegally who are accused of committing crimes as "animals," which has alarmed experts on extremism and raises the likelihood of violence.
All states are now border states under Crooked Joe Biden. Joe Biden has brought chaos, murder, and mayhem from all over the world and dumped it straight into our backyards, making every community now a border town, according to Trump, who was speaking in Grand Rapids while surrounded by uniformed law enforcement personnel in front of a row of flags.
Even though violent crime has decreased, Trump and other Republicans have targeted Biden by focusing on a number of high-profile incidents that they claim were committed by illegal immigrants at a time when border crossings have reached all-time highs. According to polls, Trump leads Biden on this subject since many potential voters express worry about the effects of the crossings.
While Wisconsin was hosting its presidential primary on Tuesday night, Trump persisted in hammering home the point at a rally there. Despite the lack of proof linking any nation to such a concerted effort, Trump charged rogue nations with "pumping migrants across our wide open border" and "sending prisoners, murders, drug dealers, mental patients, and terrorists."
Additionally, he asserted that immigration will force Social Security and Medicare to "buckle and collapse" and lose the nation trillions of dollars in public services.
He declared, "Vote for Crooked Joe Biden if you want to help Joe Biden wheel granny off the cliff to fund government benefits for illegals." "But when I become president, I'll send Joe Biden's illegal aliens home instead of pushing grandmother too far."
According to Biden's campaign, Trump is the one endangering the initiatives. "Donald Trump is attempting to conceal his unfavorable record through inconsistent fabrications and frenzied refutations," stated Brianna Johnson, the Wisconsin communications director for the campaign.
The benefits of immigration to the American economy were highlighted by the White House. They contended that when the Federal Reserve raised interest rates to combat inflation, recent increases in immigration have contributed to increased employment and steady growth.
During Tuesday's press briefing, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated, "We know immigrants strengthen our country and also strengthen our economy," adding that immigrants were performing the "critical work" on the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore when it collapsed due to a ship strike.
Ruby Garcia, a Michigan lady discovered dead on the side of a Grand Rapids roadway on March 22, was mentioned by Trump. According to the police, she was romantically involved with Brandon Ortiz-Vite, the suspect. After shooting her several times during an altercation, he told the authorities he dropped her body on the side of the road and drove off in her red Mazda.
The 25-year-old Garcia was misrepresented by Trump as being 17 years old.
According to the authorities, Ortiz-Vite is a Mexican citizen who was deported after being arrested for driving while intoxicated. Court records show that he does not have a counsel listed.
In his statements, Trump claimed to have spoken with a few members of her family. Mavi Garcia, Garcia's sister, refuted his story, telling Fox17 that they hadn't. The outlet claimed she texted them, "No, he did not speak with us," but she would not elaborate.
She also begged media to stop politicizing her sister's tale on Facebook last week. On Tuesday, she requested solitude, stating that all she wanted was "justice to be served" and "to be left alone."
Additionally, Trump brought up the death of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley once more. A guy from Venezuela has been charged after authorities claim he entered the country illegally. Riley's family met with Trump behind the scenes during his rally in Georgia last month.
In reference to Riley's death, Trump called the suspect a "illegal alien animal."
"Please don't refer to them as animals, say the Democrats. They are people. He answered, "No, they're not humans; they're animals," in response to my statement.
According to FBI data, violent crime in the United States as a whole decreased once more last year, maintaining a decreasing trend following a spike during the pandemic. Based on available data, violent crime in Michigan reached a three-year low in 2022. Detroit, the biggest city in Michigan, has seen a decrease in crime as well; last year saw the fewest homicides since 1966.
Wisconsin and Michigan are thought to be crucial battleground states in the current election. In 2016, Trump defeated the Democrats' so-called "blue wall" by winning both; however, in 2020, Biden defeated him. With an emphasis on union members and blue-collar workers in particular, his campaign aims to win them back.
Some fans in Green Bay withstood three hours of snowfall to get inside the venue. More than a hundred fans lined the street where Trump's limousine was supposed to pass in Grand Rapids, Michigan, despite the chilly weather.
A small group of immigration reform supporters met at a neighboring park to observe a moment of quiet in Garcia's honor. They carried placards that said, "No human being is illegal" and "Michigan welcomes immigrants."
In an attempt to rebut Trump's criticism, Biden's campaign has criticized the former president for his part in derailing a bipartisan border agreement that called for the hiring of more than 1,500 extra CBP officers in addition to other limitations.
A resolution was present on the table. Democrats Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan stated on Monday that "it was actually the former president that encouraged Republicans to walk away from getting it done." "As we recently witnessed in Grand Rapids, I don't have much patience for political points that continue to jeopardize our economy and, to some extent, our people."
Ever before he was announced as the presumed nominee of his party, Trump has been dipping into divisive rhetoric on the increase of migrants at the southern border. He has called immigrants "poisoning the blood of the country," questioned whether some should even be regarded as human, and asserted—without providing any supporting data—that other nations have been pouring their jail and mental health facilities' contents into the United States.
Trump spoke in Green Bay next to an empty platform that said, "Anytime." Anywhere, at any time. According to Trump, it was intended for Biden, whose campaign has stated that it will not be taking part in debates.
___ Colvin reported from New York, and Gomez Licon from Green Bay, Wisconsin. This story was written by Associated Press writers Josh Boak in Washington and Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin.