Supporters of former President Donald Trump have reacted angrily to his recent announcement that he supports accepting “many” migrants into the country.
Trump, 78, made the remarks Thursday at a press conference in Bedminster, New Jersey, outside his Trump National Golf Club.
“Basically, we’re going to drill, drill, bring down energy prices, almost immediately, then we’re going to close the border and get the bad guys out,” the Republican began. “And we’re going to let a lot of people in.”
More immigrants are needed, he said, “because (the US) needs more people – especially artificial intelligence and all (those) different things.”
“The farmers need it, we all need it,” the candidate continued, before quickly clarifying: “But we will make sure that they are not murderers, killers, drug dealers and the kind of people who are currently coming to us in large numbers.”
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Trump, 78, made the remarks Thursday at a press conference in Bedminster, New Jersey, outside his Trump National Golf Club.
The Internet reacts to statements by former President Donald Trump on Thursday that he continues to support legal immigration
Although Trump’s comments by no means represented a departure from his previous policies, they quickly sparked a public outcry.
“Why is he suddenly talking like that?” one observer wrote on Twitter, just days after Trump told the platform’s CEO, Elon Musk, that he still wanted to “close the border and stop the migrant invasion.”
“Then I won’t vote,” added another, who is apparently fed up with the influx of migrants in recent years.
“NO MORE IMMIGRATION – WE ARE FULL,” said another, responding to a clip of the speech published and reshared later that day.
Some accused the future president of having a change of heart, others accused him of pandering to the left.
Meanwhile, the election campaign against Kamala Harris is becoming increasingly heated, prompting Trump on Thursday to focus much of his speech not only on immigration policy but also on the economy.
Trump blamed the other candidate for the current situation in both cases, but made it clear that he continues to support immigration through appropriate channels.
One commentator then quipped, “We need negative immigration!” and quoted Matt Walsh of the Daily Wire, who called the recent wave of immigration from around the world via South and Central America “reverse colonization.”
Although Trump’s comments by no means represented a departure from his previous policies, they sparked a public outcry, with many accusing the president, who is hoping to run for a second term, of having a change of heart.
Another declared: “No, we have enough people. Immigration must stop until we can deal with our own people.”
Someone else said: “Trump is repeating the arguments of Silicon Valley tech tycoons who advocate open borders.”
“I do not support legal immigration,” another person said simply.
Another called the statement “a complete betrayal of the forgotten Americans who made the Trump revolution possible,” even though Trump has repeatedly stated that he only wants to stop some of the border crossings of recent years.
He repeatedly said that anyone who immigrated legally was welcome. However, anyone who came under the pretext of seeking asylum was not welcome.
This fact seemed to have escaped the attention of those who opposed the former president, who falsely claimed in his speech that “virtually 100 percent of the net jobs created last year were migrants.”
He further claimed that he had heard that growth was “actually above that number, at 100 percent,” which appeared to be an attempt to criticize the improvements in statistics under Harris and Biden.
He also said that Harris was a more ideal opponent for him than her predecessor – even though opinion polls suggested otherwise.
called the statement “a complete betrayal of the forgotten Americans who made the Trump revolution possible,” although Trump had repeatedly stated that he only wanted to stop some of the border crossings of recent years.
He repeatedly said that those who immigrate legally are welcome – but those who come under the pretext of seeking asylum are not welcome.
He also took aim at Harris’s newly appointed running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, accusing him of “placing tampons in boys’ bathrooms in his state’s public schools.”
In 2023, Walz signed a law requiring public schools to provide access to menstrual products in restrooms regularly used by students in grades 4 through 12. The law does not distinguish by gender, but states that menstrual products must be available “to all menstruating students.”
“He recently approved a bill that would require tampons in boys’ restrooms,” Trump said of the policy that leaves the placement of such products up to individual schools.
“He wants tampons in boys’ bathrooms. That’s terrible.”
Regarding the border, Trump said Harris – whom he had previously accused of being Biden’s border czar – had allowed more than 20 million illegal immigrants into the country.
During the Biden administration, there were only 9.9 million encounters with immigrants, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data—a number that the Department of Homeland Security estimates rises to 11.6 million when including those who were not stopped by border officials.
Trump spoke for nearly an hour before taking questions from reporters after members of his team put up signs calling attention to the “price increases since (Harris) took office.”
Another called the statement “a complete betrayal of the forgotten Americans who made the Trump revolution possible,” even though Trump has repeatedly stated that he only wants to stop some of the border crossings of recent years.
The speech came three days after Trump, who was recently reinstated on Twitter after a years-long absence due to inflammatory tweets, unveiled a list of “20 core promises” to “make America great again.”
These principles included “Close the border and stop the migrant invasion” and “Carry out the largest deportation operation in American history.”
There were also promises to “end inflation” and “make America affordable again” – not to mention ending “World War III,” restoring peace in Europe and the Middle East, and building a massive iron dome-shaped missile defense shield over our entire country – all made in America.”
He did not announce any new policy proposals on Thursday.
