Trump falsely characterizing Hill immigration debate. Says Democrats, who are in the minority, are blocking action: "It's only the Republicans in unison who want to change them." Immigration bill foundered on Republican divisions.
Trump trying to counter pictures of women + children in the caravan that still is about 1,000 miles from border: "These are tough people...young men, strong men..they've overrun the Mexican police and overrun and hurt badly Mexican soldiers...They've injured, they've attacked."
Trump intimates that the U.S. military will be used to block entry of marchers, which is not in their job description: "We hope nothing happens, but if it does we're prepared."
Trump insists that migrants, rather that fleeing violence and poverty by walking hundreds and hundreds of miles, are being drawn by "Democrat-backed laws and left-wing judicial rulings" in the United States.
This is a repeat of Trump's earlier speeches on immigration, in which he's supported not only stopping illegal immigration but sharply cutting legal immigration. 1 of his arguments is they take jobs; contrarily he also contended today that the jobs market is the best it has been.
Trump focuses at the end of every election on immigration, which fuels his base (and can attract some blue collar Democrats), as @mattviser and @jdawsey1 reported: washingtonpost.com/politics/in-th…
Trump falsely says that $4.8 billion has been set aside for wall and is being spent for the wall. Not true. $3.2 billion set aside for non-wall security.
Asked about the separation of children from families at the border, Trump falsely says "that didn't happen" under him, and then says Obama did it and he did the same thing.
Trump now setting up the possibility that if people trying to get over the border throw rocks, which is by far not the usual way it's done, they could be met by U.S. military firepower.
"Women don't want these people in our country," says Trump, aiming at a key part of Tuesday's electorate seconds after saying his immigration emphasis has nothing to do with the election.
At the end of the event, Trump said GA Dem gov nominee Stacey Abrams, a former state House leader, Spelman/Yale grad “is not qualified.” Earlier he called a second black gov nominee, Andrew Gillum of FLA, "a stone cold thief."
