How Putin Turned a Western Boycott Into a Bonanza
New York TimesDec 02, 2023
Trump Makes Controversial Immigration Comments at Rally
story
Image copyright: Scott Eisen/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
Speaking at a rally Saturday in Durham, New Hampshire, former Pres. Donald Trump claimed illegal immigrants are "poisoning the blood" of America while discussing US border security.
Trump also said the immigrants coming to the US had "poisoned mental institutions and prisons all over the world” in "not just the three or four countries that we think about" but rather from "all over the world."
The Spin
Anti-Trump narrative
Whether it's his dehumanizing comments about immigrants or his denigration of democratic institutions, Trump's goal is to get his followers to share his view of democracy as illegitimate in an attempt to distract from his legal troubles and be empowered to act as an authoritarian should he return to the White House. This is what Democrats and pro-democracy Republicans are fighting against while he falsely accuses them of being anti-democratic. Trump's rhetoric becomes more dangerous with each passing rally.
Pro-Trump narrative
We shouldn’t be focusing on Trump’s rhetoric because criticizing how he describes a problem doesn't mean there isn't a major issue. The border is broken, and an overwhelming majority of Americans agree that something has to be done to fix it. But Democrats and the Biden administration have failed on this matter so they're trying to distract the public while Trump is offering up solutions for when he returns to the White House.
Narrative C
Despite their stark rhetorical differences, the GOP and the Biden Admin. are together set to enact the most sweeping set of restrictive immigration changes seen in 100 years. Over-focusing on either Trump's extreme rhetoric or Biden's softened statements ignores closely aligned policy realities that will impact the lives of millions.
