Category: Politics

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine offered one of the most vociferous defenses of Haitian immigrants in Springfield yet from a Republican as their presence in the city becomes a chief point of criticism from former President Donald Trump.

Speaking to “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz, DeWine repeatedly noted that the immigrants are in Ohio legally and praised their work ethic, stridently swatting away claims that they are eating neighbors’ pets — unsubstantiated conspiracy theories promoted by Trump and his allies.

“I think it’s unfortunate that this came up. Let me tell you what we do know, though. What we know is that the Haitians who are in Springfield are legal. They came to Springfield to work. Ohio is on the move, and Springfield has really made a great resurgence with a lot of companies coming in. These Haitians came in to work for these companies,” DeWine said.

“What the companies tell us is that they are very good workers. They’re very happy to have them there, and frankly, that’s helped the economy. Now, are there problems connected? Well, sure. When you go from a population of 58,000 and add 15,000 people onto that, you’re going to have some challenges and some problems. And we’re addressing those,” he added.

Conspiracy theories about the immigrants spread online have made their way to national politics, breaking through when Trump claimed in his debate with Democratic opponent Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday that Haitians in Springfield were eating neighbors’ dogs and cats.

“Look, there’s a lot of garbage on the internet and, you know, this is a piece of garbage that was simply not true. There’s no evidence of this at all,” DeWine said on “This Week.”

The fallout spread beyond politics over the past week as bomb threats and other threats of violence were reported in Springfield — prompting a strong rebuke from DeWine.

“There are hate groups coming into Springfield. We don’t need these hate groups. I saw a piece of literature yesterday that the mayor told me about from purportedly the KKK. Look, Springfield is a good city. They are good people. They are welcoming people. We have challenges every day. We are working on those challenges,” DeWine said.

“This idea that we have hate groups coming in, this discussion just has to stop. We need to focus on moving forward and not dogs and cats being eaten. It’s just ridiculous,” he added.

DeWine last week announced the state would send more resources to Springfield. His office said local primary caregivers have been impacted due to an increased number of patients and lack of translation services. DeWine has authorized $2.5 million to go toward expanding primary care access for the city of Springfield, while calling for more federal help.

When pressed by Raddatz on how to square his defense of immigrants in Springfield with Trump’s comments about them, on top of recent incorrect claims at the debate that he in fact won the 2020 election, the Ohio governor said Americans trust Trump on the economy and other issues.

“I’ve said before we knew who the nominee was going to be, I would support the Republican nominee for president. I am a Republican. I think if you look at the economy, these are issues that I think the American people are most concerned about. I think that Donald Trump is the best choice,” he said.

“Look, there’s these are legitimate problems that we have on the border. I’m not minimizing that at all. And those are legitimate arguments where the vast majority the American people agree with Donald Trump, and not the vice president, [Kamala Harris],” he added. “But what’s going on in Springfield is just fundamentally different. These people are here legally. They came to work.”

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Despite Vice President Kamala Harris’ being viewed widely as the winner of last week’s presidential debate against former President Donald Trump, her performance did not cause a notable change in her favor, according to a ABC News/Ipsos poll released Sunday — which Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said does not surprise her.

“We know that this is going to be a close race,” she told “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz on Sunday. “Kamala Harris says that she’s an underdog, but what’s important is that she and Tim Walz have built a campaign for a close race.”

In Trump and Harris’ match up last week, voters had the opportunity to directly compare the candidates before they cast their ballots in what will be a tight election. Americans by 58-36% say Harris won the debate, according to the new polling. Last week, she sought to capitalize off her post-debate momentum, campaigning in Johnstown and Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania — two counties Trump won in 2016 and 2020.

“The enthusiasm has been really strong. And I think what’s very important also is that she and Tim are playing for every voter, they’re going to red counties,” Healey said. “They’re going to red districts, right? Because, as she said in her closing argument, ‘I’m going to be a president for all Americans.’”

During the debate, Harris falsely claimed that there isn’t a single member of the U.S. military “who is in active duty in a combat zone, in any war zone around the world — the first time this century.”

Raddatz asked Healey why Harris would make that unsubstantiated remark when there are 900 U.S. military personnel in Syria and 2,500 U.S. service members in Iraq that have been under regular threat for months, as well those patrolling in the Red Sea, where Houthi rebels in Yemen have targeted commercial shipping.

The Massachusetts governor deflected, saying, “I think what’s important here, Martha, is that Kamala Harris, in contrast to Donald Trump, demonstrated herself to be commander in chief.”

“You say she demonstrated her ability to be commander in chief, but did she not know about these people in Syria and Iraq?” Raddatz pressed. “Why would she say that?”

“That was a comment in a debate,” Healey answered. “I think the point that she was trying to make was a broader point. And of course, we have military in place all around this country. That’s important. We’re the United States of America.”

“She respects our military,” she continued. “She respects our service members. Donald Trump calls them suckers and losers, and it’s why Donald Trump’s former military generals support Kamala Harris.”

On the issue of abortion, Raddatz said Harris didn’t clarify during the debate whether she supports any restrictions on the procedure and asked if the vice president should let voters know where she stands and draw some sort of a line.

“She already did, Martha. What she said is, ‘let’s go back to Roe,’” Healey said before hitting Trump for not saying that he would veto a national abortion ban.

“In fact, he supports abortion bans, just like the Trump abortion ban that’s on the ballot in Florida, and it’s appalling,” she said. “It’s appalling what that means for women, for families, for their health. And you know, that is a clear, clear distinction in this race.”

Turning to the economy, Raddatz pointed to rising grocery and home prices under the Biden-Harris administration and how many many view Trump as handling the economy better. Trump leads on the issue by seven points over Harris in the new ABC News/Ispos poll.

Healey put the blame for the economy on the former president and his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“There had to be a huge infusion of money to save our small businesses and to help all of our states,” she said. “Inflation rose as a result. And what’s happened under the Biden Harris administration is they’ve actually worked to bring down inflation. There is still work to do.”

“Kamala Harris has said, ‘I’m going to lay the foundation to see further reductions in the interest rates’, which I think we’ll see soon, and prices are going to come down. But it is very unfair to start that in the middle of the movie when the Biden-Harris team came in, and we’re dealing with a lot,” Healey continued. “We have the strongest economy of any country in the world right now, and they are committed to making life more affordable for people on housing, drugs, groceries and the like. Donald Trump isn’t.”

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The FBI is investigating what it called an “attempted assassination” of former President Donald Trump after Secret Service agents fired at a man with an AK-47 rifle on or near Trump’s Palm Beach, Florida, golf course on Sunday.

A spokesperson for Donald Trump’s campaign said the former president is “safe.” Law enforcement sources told ABC News a suspect is in custody.

The incident comes around two months after Trump was shot in the ear at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said the gunman got as close as 300 to 500 yards away from the former president when he was spotted and agents fired four to six rounds at him before he dropped the gun and fled. It was not clear if the suspect was aiming his weapon at Trump.

The source said the suspect got into a vehicle and witnesses reported the license plate number, which was tracked by authorities. The suspect was stopped and taken into custody.

Bradshaw said along with an “AK-47-style rifle,” two backpacks were found at the scene with a GoPro camera and ceramic tiles inside.

The sheriff said the golf course was not surrounded by law enforcement because Trump is not the sitting president. “If he was, we would have had this entire golf course surrounded. But because he’s not, security is limited to the areas that the Secret Service deems possible. So, I would imagine that the next time he comes to the golf course, there’ll probably be a little bit more people around the perimeter.”

But Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said he already had concerns about the Secret Service after the first assassination attempt against Trump and advocated moving the agency from under the Department of Homeland Security and back under the Treasury Department, “where it had more focus.”

A Republican who spoke with Trump shortly after the incident told ABC News that Trump said he was near the 5th hole of the Trump International golf course when he heard “popping sounds” in the vicinity. The source said Trump was in “good spirits.”

Sheriff Will Snyder of neighboring Martin County told ABC News that his units detained a man following the incident. Snyder said after the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Department, the Secret Service and the FBI put out a “Be on the lookout for” alert, one of his officers saw the suspect vehicle northbound on Interstate 95 and other officers “forced it to a stop without incident.”

Snyder said the vehicle matched the description in the bulletin but “now we have to determine if this, in fact, was the right suspect.”

Shortly after the incident, Trump sent a fundraising email saying that he was safe and well and that no one was hurt.

“But, there are people in this world who will do whatever it takes to stop us,” he wrote.

In a follow-up fundraising email Sunday evening, Trump wrote, “My resolve is only stronger after another attempt on my life.”

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were briefed on the “security incident at the Trump International Golf Course,” the White House said in a statement Sunday.

“They are relieved to know that he is safe. They will be kept regularly updated by their team,” the White House added.

After being briefed on the incident, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement, “There is no place in this country for political violence of any kind.”

“The perpetrator must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Schumer added.

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(JOHNSTOWN, Penn.) — Vice President Kamala Harris told reporters she was “feeling very good about Pennsylvania” while campaigning on Friday in the key battleground state, even as both supporters and detractors came out for the occasion.

In an unannounced stop to Classic Elements, a cafe and bookstore in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Harris told reporters, “I am feeling very good about Pennsylvania, because there are a lot of people in Pennsylvania who deserve to be seen and heard.”

“I will be continuing to travel around the state to make sure that I’m listening as much as we are talking,” Harris said. “And ultimately, I feel very strongly that — got to earn every vote, and that means spending time with folks in the communities where they live. And so that’s why I’m here.”

She added, “We’re going to be spending a lot more time in Pennsylvania.”

Harris and former President Donald Trump remain locked in a tight race in Pennsylvania, with 538’s presidential polling average for Pennsylvania showing less than a percentage point between the candidates as of Friday afternoon.

Both campaigns will look to win the state, which Biden won by about a 1% margin in 2020 — four years after Trump won by slightly less 1%.

Before she spoke with the media, Harris chatted with the store’s owner while Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman and his spouse Giselle Fetterman looked on.

Harris spoke about a small business owner neighbor she had growing up who was a “second mother” to her. Harris also praised the staff for their work.

When Harris went into the main seating area of the cafe, a patron called out, “Kamala, we love you!” to which Harris responded, “I appreciate you, thank you” to applause and comments of “Madame Vice President.”

Speaking to the patrons, Harris said, “We’re doing it together. But I wanted to come to Johnstown … I wanted to come and visit this small business — you know, a lot of the work I care about is about building community, right? There are many ways to do that … one of them is our small businesses.”

But Harris encountered both supporters and detractors outside of the bookstore.

Near the bookstore, people behind temporary fencing held signs that were both supportive of Harris and supportive of Trump.

One person could be heard chanting “USA!” while another chanted “We’re not going back” — which can often be heard at her campaign events.

And one person could be seen holding up a sign that said, “Even my dog hates Trump.”

Earlier, when she landed in Johnstown, there was a large crowd gathered at the airport hanger; Harris was greeted by the Fettermans and Johnstown Mayor Frank Janakovic.

As the motorcade drove to the bookstore, some healthcare workers lined a street holding up middle fingers and a sign that said, “Harris sux.”

The visit came ahead of a Friday evening rally Harris is set to hold in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and amid a battleground-state swing by Harris, running mate Gov. Tim Walz, and others launched after the ABC News presidential debate on Tuesday.

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(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden weighed in Friday on unsubstantiated claims that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, are abducting and eating cats and dogs, saying the narrative is “simply wrong” and has “no place in America.”

“This has to stop, what he’s doing. It has to stop,” he added, referring to former President Donald Trump.

Throughout this past week, former President Donald Trump and his allies have continued to double down on the unsubstantiated narrative that Haitian immigrants are eating pets in Springfield.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reiterated the president’s message condemning attacks on Haitian migrant communities in Springfield, Ohio, during a press briefing Friday.

“It is extremely sad and concerning, that a community is facing this type of danger and vitriol, and as the president said today, I think very forcefully, this needs to stop. And there is absolutely no place – absolutely no place, in this country, you know, certainly in our political discourse for this type of vitriolic, smearing hateful language,” she said, emphasizing the danger of “hateful conspiracy theories.”

Jean-Pierre, who herself is Haitian-American, said that she takes it personally when “any community, any vulnerable community is attacked, not just not just a community that I belong to,” when asked by reporters.

She also noted that the federal government has been working with Springfield officials since the spring, with “one-stop clinics” available to migrant communities to help, which she said have served more than 37,000 people.

“We’ve delivered resources to Ohio as well to cities, states and nonprofits across the country. Since the spring, DHS (Department of Homeland Security) has been directly engaged with the city of Springfield and local officials to make sure they have the support they need. And we want to do more. We would like to do more. That’s why we did the bipartisan proposal, with the Senate early – at the end of last year – obviously early into this year. And it was stopped,” Jean-Pierre said.

But in order to help more, Jean-Pierre said, “we need more funding, we need more.” She repeatedly laid blame on Congressional Republicans, who she said is at fault for spiking the bipartisan border legislation that would have provided funding for places like Springfield.

“It was stopped because the former president said that bill, that particular proposal would hurt him and help Joe Biden. And so, Republicans in Congress stopped that. It would have given more resources to cities like Springfield, Ohio. But I don’t want to miss the point here that the administration has indeed provided more than $1.3 billion in grant funding to jurisdiction[s] around the country to help with the influx and what they’re dealing with. We want to do more, but we’ve been blocked in doing so,” she said.

On Thursday, Jean-Pierre called the claims towards Haitian immigrants a “very bizarre and very hateful smear” that the “police department has debunked.”

She also noted that Haitian communities are fearful, keeping children home from school and facing threats to their property.

“So many Americans like Karine, as she pointed out a proud Haitian-American, a community that’s under attack in our country right now. It’s simply wrong. There’s no place in America,” Biden said.

Springfield Mayor Rob Rue told ABC News on Friday that such rumors are “factually not true” and promised that “your pets are safe in Springfield.”

The city of Springfield previously told ABC News in a statement that “there have been no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community.”

ABC News’ Emily Chang and Armando Garcia contributed to this report.

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(LOS ANGELES) — Former President Donald Trump on Friday said he would conduct a mass deportation of immigrants living in Springfield, Ohio, and dismissed a question from ABC News about the bomb threats the town is experiencing in the wake of unsubstantiated claims about Haitian migrants.

“We’re going to have the largest deportation in the history of our country,” Trump said as he took reporter questions in Los Angeles, California. “And we’re going to start with Springfield and Aurora, [Colorado].”

The remark comes after Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, amplified unsubstantiated claims of Haitian migrants in Springfield eating pets. Trump did not repeat the baseless rumor when speaking in California, but called the Haitian migrants “illegal” despite the city explaining the Haitian population is in the U.S. legally under the Immigration Parole Program.

Two schools were evacuated and another was closed in Springfield on Friday after bomb threats were sent “to multiple agencies and media outlets” in the city, according to the city commission office. The mayor said he believes these threats are directly connected to the unfounded rumors spread online about Haitian migrants.

ABC News Senior National Correspondent Terry Moran asked Trump, “The mayor of Springfield, Ohio, the police chief, the Republican governor of Ohio, have all debunked this story about people eating pets, and now there are bomb threats at schools and kids being evacuated. Why do you still spread this false story?”

“No no, no. The real threat is what’s happening at our border,” Trump said. “Because you have thousands of people being killed by illegal migrants coming in — and also dying.” (There is no evidence of thousands of people being killed by migrants crossing the border illegally.)

Trump used Ohio to reinforce his promise of overseeing the largest mass deportation operation, one of his most discussed campaign promises this cycle.

“I can say this. We will do large deportations from Springfield, Ohio, large deportations,” he said. “We’re going to get these people out. We’re bringing them back to Venezuela.”

On Friday, President Joe Biden weighed in on the controversy, saying it has “no place in America.”

“This has to stop, what he’s doing. It has to stop,” Biden said, referring to Trump.

Trump became angry as he started talking about immigration on Friday, calling America a “dumping group” for people from other countries, stereotyping them as criminals.

Earlier on Friday, Trump’s running mate Vance continued to make what appeared to be unsubstantiated claims about Haitian migrants in Springfield. Vance claimed on X that “there has been a massive rise in communicable diseases, rent prices, car insurance rates, and crime. This is what happens when you drop 20,000 people into a small community.”

Haiti does not have access to the same access to vaccines or requirements as the United States, but Ohio is already working to address those concerns. Gov. Mike DeWine earlier this week announced he was earmarking $2.5 million to expand primary care access for the entire city.

Springfield’s mayor also told ABC News that while there are discrepancies in vaccines, the biggest issue they’re dealing with when it comes to the migrants is traffic violations. DeWine also said he’s directed the Ohio State Highway Patrol to support the local police with traffic enforcement.

Trump was also asked about Laura Loomer joining him as the campaign trail this week. Loomer is a far-right activist who has spread baseless claims about Springfield on social media.

Loomer’s presence has prompted push back from several Republicans, including Sen. Thom Tillis, who said she was “a crazy conspiracy theorist who regularly utters disgusting garbage intended to divide Republicans.”

Trump claimed she was just a supporter who has “strong opinions” over whom he had no control. He also claimed to not have seen her more controversial posts, including conspiracies about the 9/11 attacks, including that it was an “inside job.”

“She’s a free spirit … I mean, look, I can’t tell Laura what to do. Laura’s a supporter,” Trump said. “I have a lot of supporters, but so I don’t know what exactly you’re referring to.” He said he would review what he called her “strong opinions” and put out a statement.

Loomer out out a statement, saying in part, “I am a private citizen and an independent journalist. I don’t work for President Trump. I am simply a ride or die supporter and I believe in President Trump and his agenda to Make America Great Again.”

ABC News’ Hannah Demissie and Armando Garcia contributed to this report.

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(GREENSBORO, N.C.) — North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, said Thursday that Vice President Kamala Harris’ chances in the crucial battleground state of North Carolina are “excellent,” because of her momentum following the ABC News debate as well as the governor’s race.

“Her chances are excellent, and most people have North Carolina as a toss-up state,” Cooper said in an interview with ABC News at Harris’ rally in Greensboro, North Carolina, on Thursday.

Trump narrowly won North Carolina in 2020, and no Democrat has won the state in a presidential race since former President Barak Obama in 2008. Democrats now believe the state is back in play with Harris at the top of the ticket, as she generates more enthusiasm with young voters and voters of color.

Cooper also said that Harris’ performance at the ABC News debate earlier this week moved the needle with voters more than usual because she’s still introducing herself to the American people.

“We know that debates oftentimes don’t make that big a difference. I think it made a difference here because a lot of people didn’t really know Kamala Harris that well, and they got a chance to see her in action for an hour and a half,” he said.

A recent New York Times/Siena College poll found that 28% of likely voters said they feel they need to still learn more about Harris, while only 9% of likely voters felt that way about Trump.

Harris appears to be benefiting from some momentum after the debate, which could help her in some key battleground states like North Carolina.

538 has collected three national polls and one swing-state poll that were conducted since the debate. In all of them, more people who watched the debate said Harris won the debate than said Trump did. On average, 57% of debate watchers nationally said Harris turned in the better performance; only 34% said Trump did.

Cooper said another thing that helps Harris in the state is the governor’s race — presumably as people come out to vote against the controversial Republican candidate.

“I think this will be a bottom-up race. I think the governor’s race in North Carolina will help Kamala Harris,” he said.

The North Carolina gubernatorial race to take over for term-limited Cooper is a competitive and closely watched race. In it, North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, a Democrat, is taking on Republican opponent Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson.

Cooper called Robinson — a controversial candidate with a record of attacking women, Muslims and the LGBTQ community as well as amplifying conspiracy theories and extreme views against abortion — an “extreme right-wing candidate” that he said will “drag Donald Trump down.”

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(WASHINGTON) — Federal prosecutors are expected to file criminal charges in connection with the alleged hack of emails from members of former President Donald Trump’s campaign, sources familiar with the matter confirmed to ABC News.

The charges in connection with the hack, which the U.S. government has attributed to Iran, could be filed as soon as next week, the sources said.

The Iranians allegedly gained access to data and files taken from the email accounts of Trump advisers, which included internal documents used to vet Trump’s perspective running mate, the sources said.

The Trump campaign, as victims, would be notified of any criminal charges that happen, as is standard Department of Justice practice.

The Washington Post first reported charges were expected.

The Trump campaign did not immediately comment.

Last month, the Trump campaign cited a report published by Microsoft in claiming they were hacked. Though it did not specifically name Trump’s campaign, Microsoft’s statement said, “In June 2024, Mint Sandstorm — a group run by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) intelligence unit — sent a spear-phishing email to a high-ranking official of a presidential campaign from a compromised email account of a former senior advisor. The phishing email contained a fake forward with a hyperlink that directs traffic through an actor-controlled domain before redirecting to the listed domain.”

The IRGC is a branch of the Iranian armed forces.

Federal officials have been dealing with increased hacking activity around the 2024 election. A week after Microsoft’s statement, Google said a hacking group associated with Iran targeted the personal email accounts of “roughly a dozen” people associated with the Trump and Joe Biden campaigns, including current and former U.S. government officials.

“In May and June, APT42 targets included the personal email accounts of roughly a dozen individuals affiliated with President Biden and with former President Trump, including current and former officials in the U.S. government and individuals associated with the respective campaigns. We blocked numerous APT42 attempts to log in to the personal email accounts of targeted individuals,” the report said.

The group, APT42, is also associated with the IRGC, according to Google.

Meta has also issued warnings about hacking and disinformation during the campaign, releasing a report last month that identified Russia and Iran has the top two threats.

ABC News’ Luke Barr contributed to this report.

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(NEW YORK) — Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign is releasing a new ad on Friday featuring her closing statement from the ABC News debate when she called for unity and committed to serving all Americans.

The campaign said its live focus group of undecided battleground voters during Tuesday’s debate found those moments to be some of Harris’ strongest.

The news of the ad was first shared with ABC News.

Since the debate, the Harris team says it has been strategizing ways to capitalize on her momentum. The campaign says it has aimed to highlight moments from the debate that underscore the contrast with former President Donald Trump, as well as his answers they found most concerning — including what he said on abortion and Jan. 6, 2021, when an angry mob of Trump supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol.

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(TUCSON, Ariz.) — Former President Donald Trump unveiled a new economic policy on Thursday before a crowd in Tucson, Arizona, saying he would end taxing overtime pay.

“Today, I’m also announcing that as part of our additional tax cuts, we will end all taxes on overtime,” Trump said to loud cheers, “That gives people more of an incentive to work; it gives the companies a lot. It’s a lot easier to get the people.”

“The people who work overtime are among the hardest working citizens in our country, and for too long, no one in Washington has been looking out for them. … It’s time for the working man and woman to finally catch a break, and that’s what we’re doing.”

Trump has previously proposed ending taxes on tips and on Social Security benefits.

Trump offered no specifics on his new proposal, spending much of the speech airing his grievances about this week’s ABC News-hosted debate and again declaring he would not participate in any more, as he had earlier in the day, and attacking his opponent Vice President Kamala Harris.

“So, because we’ve done two debates and because they were successful, there will be no third debate,” said Trump to cheers in Tucson. “It’s too late anyway, the voting has already begun. You got to go out and vote. We got to vote.”

He continued to also launch personal attacks against Vice President Kamala Harris, mimicking her speaking style and expressions and mocking her name by saying nobody knows what her last name is.

“Now, Kamala is a very different kind of a word, nice name, very nice name,” Trump said. “You don’t know her as Harris. When you say Harris, everyone says, ‘Who the hell is that?’ right?”

Before unveiling his new economic proposal, the former president attempted to link immigration to the high cost of housing, arguing that a surge in undocumented migrants were driving up costs and creating dangerous neighborhoods.

Despite the fact that there were bomb threats reported in the town earlier Thursday and city officials vehemently and repeatedly denying the assertions, Trump again claimed that Haitian migrants were abducting animals in Springfield, Ohio – though not going as far on Thursday as to claim that they were eating them as he did in the debate and on his Truth Social platform.

In an anti-immigrant rant, Trump declared that the United States was being conquered by “foreign elements.” He ticked through stories of different cities and towns that he argued were being hurt by an influx of people crossing the border. In some instances, the former president didn’t name specific places, instead opting for general fear mongering rhetoric.

“There are hundreds and hundreds or thousands of stories. They’re coming in from all over the world, from prisons and jails, from mental institutions and insane asylums and many tourists at numbers that we have never seen before. You’ve never seen these numbers before,” he said.

Despite Trump’s claims, a 2020 study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences showed U.S.-born citizens “are over 2 times more likely to be arrested for violent crimes, 2.5 times more likely to be arrested for drug crimes, and over 4 times more likely to be arrested for property crimes” than undocumented immigrants.

And overall, both murder and rape rates are down 26% compared to the same time frame last year, according to the latest FBI statistics, which are released quarterly.

As with many of Trump’s economic policy rollouts, he offered little specifics over how the proposal would work and be paid for — which would likely fall on taxpayers. However, he did claim that President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan was “unfair” to people who paid off their loans.

“You know, he kept saying to these students, no more loans, no more loans, which was very unfair to the millions of people that actually paid off their loans over the years. Some of them took 20 years to pay them off, but, but that’s a dead deal.”

When it came to his affordable housing proposal, in an attempt to court suburban women, Trump highlighted his promise to protect single-family zoning, which some have argued could lead to discriminatory practices.

He also promised to protect single-family zoning, which some have argued is a form of exclusionary zoning to push minorities out of suburban communities.

“The Radical Left wants to abolish the suburbs by forcing apartment complexes and low-income housing into the suburbs right next to your beautiful house,” said Trump, who then turned to make his appeal to suburban women.

“The suburbs were safe. That’s why, when they say suburban women maybe don’t like Trump. I think they’re wrong. I think they love me. I do. I never had problems with women. I never had any problems,” he said.

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