Trump is so far saying his usual things about illegal immigration.
This is his Presidential voice. He has trouble maintaining it.
Trump claims that the migrants are obviously "not legitimate asylum-seekers" if they aren't accepting Mexico's offer of asylum. He warns that they are "young men, strong men." Fear fear fear fear.
Trump lies of asylum seekers: "they never show up for their trials...they never come back, they're never seen again." Even the anti-immigration Center for Immigration Studies says two-thirds of people show up to court.
Trump says, as always without any evidence, that asylum seekers are given phony statements to read when they get to the border. He again promises "massive cities of tents." He lies that only "3%" of asylum seekers show up for trial.
Trump baselessly claims that there "could be 20 million people" who are illegal immigrants in this country, saying other administrations were bad at "record-keeping." His own administration estimated in January that it is 12 million.
Trump hints at the Soros-and-Democrats caravan conspiracy, saying there "seems to be a lot money passing" in the caravan and "a lot of professionalism involved."
This is very dishonest and very fearmongery, and also the same old.
Trump says that there are indeed legitimate asylum seekers, then ad-libs, of people abusing the system, "Almost everybody. Everybody is abusing it." This makes no sense at all.
Trump says human trafficking is, because of the internet, at the highest level in world history -- "you think back 200 years, 500 years. Human trafficking." (There is a debate about this claim, which he has made before, given slavery.) usatoday.com/story/news/pol…)
Trump is now warning that migrants have "big medical problems before they get here."
Trump lies that he is already building the wall. He lies that he is getting a third $1.6 billion for next year for the wall. He has not gotten money for the wall. There are only two $1.6 billion sums for the non-wall projects.
Trump has concluded the speech. There was like one sentence of this "policy announcement" on asylum seekers and ports of entry. Otherwise, he just said all the things he says.
Trump lies that he did the exact same thing as Obama with separating children (no), but nobody complained about Obama doing it (no, people complained about what Obama did do), but people are "going crazy" when it's him.
Trump warns that if any migrants throw stones or rocks when they get to the US border, "We will consider that a firearm. Because there's not much difference."
Trump promises an executive order "sometime next week" and it will be "quite comprehensive." (Also, today was the day by which he was going to have his 10% tax cuts passed.)
Trump is adding to his lying about child separation, saying he was actually gentler than Obama: "All I did was take the same law. And then I softened the law." He had a much harsher policy, wasn't the same; then backed down reluctantly after an outcry.
Trump is lying over and over that asylum seekers "disappear" without ever showing up for court.
Trump says he has told US officers at the border that, if migrants throw rocks, "Consider it a rifle." He's saying, obviously, that he wants rock-throwers shot.
Trump says Stacey Abrams is "not qualified" "by any stretch of the imagination." Abrams is a Yale-educated lawyer who served as minority leader in the state legislature.
Trump lies, for the third time, that he appeared on Oprah's show in its last week. He appeared on Feb. 7, 2011. Her last show was on May 25, 2011.
In the last week, Trump has declared a Black candidate for Florida governor a "thief," with no evidence, and a Black candidate for Georgia governor "not qualified" despite her obvious qualifications.
Trump re-promises his imaginary 10% tax cuts, said Kevin Brady just put something out. What Brady put out was a joint statement with Trump saying they're committed to a 10% tax cut and will do something at the beginning of the next Congress, ie not now.
Trump has concluded. That was a barrage of lies and fearmongering.
This was the headline moment from Trump's appearance -- the commander-in-chief saying he's told the military to shoot to kill any rock-throwers at the border. (Yes, he's doing toughness posturing, but still.)
Trump has a clear desire to make it seem as if the military will be the front-line, guns-ready caravan defenders. The military says the troops are apparently being deployed to do backup support work for the Border Patrol; can't even detain anyone. vox.com/2018/10/29/180…
