Trump’s immigration rhetoric makes inroads with some Democrats. That could be a concern for Biden

AP || Shining BD

Published: 4/1/2024 5:00:08 AM
FILE - Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally March 16, 2024, in Vandalia, Ohio. Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric appears to be making inroads even among some Democrats, a worrying sign for President Joe Biden. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean, File)

FILE - Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally March 16, 2024, in Vandalia, Ohio. Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric appears to be making inroads even among some Democrats, a worrying sign for President Joe Biden. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean, File)

The video shared by former President Donald Trump features horror movie music and footage of migrants purportedly entering the U.S. from countries including Cameroon, Afghanistan and China. Shots of men with tattoos and videos of violent crime are set against close-ups of people waving and wrapping themselves in American flags.

“They’re coming by the thousands,” Trump says in the video, posted on his social media site. “We will secure our borders. And we will restore sovereignty.”

In his speeches and online posts, Trump has ramped up anti-immigrant rhetoric as he seeks the White House a third time, casting migrants as dangerous criminals “poisoning the blood” of America. Hitting the nation’s deepest fault lines of race and national identity, his messaging often relies on falsehoods about migration. But it resonates with many of his core supporters going back a decade, to when “build the wall” chants began to ring out at his rallies.

President Joe Biden and his allies discuss the border very differently. The Democrat portrays the situation as a policy dispute that Congress can fix and hits Republicans in Washington for backing away from a border security deal after facing criticism from Trump.

Shining BD