Former President Donald Trump on Friday in Austin, Texas, attacked Vice President Kamala Harris over her approach to immigration and border security, while repeating several false claims.
Republican and Democratic presidential candidates spent one of the last days before the election in the deep-red Lone Star State – not considered a battleground in the presidential race – at dueling campaign events.
Questionnaire continues to portray gridlock across the country as November 5 quickly approaches.
While Trump focused on the border and crime, Harris was scheduled to speak in Houston on Friday night, emphasizing her support for reproductive rights – a key issue for Democrats – in a state with one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country.
“We are here today in the great state of Texas … which, under Kamala Harris, has been turned into ground zero for the largest border invasion in the history of the world,” Trump said during a campaign stop at an airplane hangar.
Trump baselessly claimed that “over the last four years, this state has become a staging ground for Kamala, importing her army of migrant gangs and illegal alien criminals into every state in America.”
The former president also condemned Harris’ actions on border security, calling her approach “cruel,” “vile” and “totally callous.”
He once again incorrectly called Harris a “border czar.” President Joe Biden tasked Harris with tackling the “root causes” of migration in Central America in 2021, but never gave her the title of “border czar.” The U.S. Department of Homeland Security leads border security.
Trump too echoed his recent rhetoricsaying that the United States is “like a dumpster for the rest of the world, where you throw people you don’t want.”
Speaking to reporters in Houston on Friday, Harris said the rhetoric was “another example of how it really demeans our country.”
“The president of the United States should be someone who elevates the discourse, speaks and invests in what is best in us, not someone like Donald Trump who continually demeans and belittles who Americans are.” he added. Harris said.
Trump also reiterated his commitment, if re-elected, to launch “the largest deportation program in American history” immediately after taking the oath of office.
“We have to catch all these criminals, murderers, drug dealers and so on – we will get them out and we will put these cruel and bloodthirsty criminals in prison or throw them out of our country and we will get them out,” he said.
Vance in Michigan
During a NewsNation town hall in Michigan on Thursday, Trump’s running mate, Ohio GOP Sen. J.D. Vance, asked a series of questions on topics including immigration, housing and abortion.
One of these questions was asked by Trump himself.
“How brilliant is Donald J. Trump?” the former president asked Vance on the phone.
Laughing, Vance replied, “Well, first of all, sir, these are supposed to be undecided voters. I hope to have your vote of all people, but… sir, you are obviously very brilliant.”
The Ohio Republican began talking about conversations between his wife Usha and Trump.
Trump, who said he watched a CNN town hall with Harris the night before, then asked Vance, “How brilliant is Kamala?”
“It’s very difficult, sir,” Vance said. “I should say something,” he added hesitantly.
Vance also defended baseless claims he has amplified in recent weeks about legal Haitian immigrants eating cats and dogs in Springfield, Ohio.
“Well, I said then and I will say now, you hear a lot of things from your constituents. They tell you things and I think it’s crucial for me to listen to people who come to me with their problems,” Vance said.
“Do I think the media has really diverted attention from the housing crisis, the health crisis, and the public school crisis to focus on the ‘eating dogs and cats’ issue? Yes, I know, and do I wish I had been better at that moment? Perhaps,” he said.
“But also people from my community that I represent come to me and say: something like this is happening. What should I do? Hang up the phone and tell them they’re lying because the media doesn’t want me to talk about it?”
Debunked claims about legal Haitian immigrants prompted a series of bomb threats and closures of Springfield.
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