The Quote Below: More Misinformation from the Media
“Since launching his presidential campaign in 2015, Donald Trump’s words have raised eyebrows for their characterizations of those he views negatively. . . . But no group has been the subject of his ire as have immigrants, especially those who have entered the country illegally. . . .
“[T]wo New York Times reporters detail that in a March meeting with his political aides, Trump’s frustration about illegal immigration led him to suggest violent solutions to the problem. They reported:
“Privately, the president had often talked about fortifying a border wall with a water-filled trench, stocked with snakes or alligators, prompting aides to seek a cost estimate. He wanted the wall electrified, with spikes on top that could pierce human flesh. . . .
“But this is not the first time Trump’s words toward immigrants have been dehumanizing. Looking back to the earliest days of his campaign, Trump has reserved some of his most violent and dehumanizing language toward immigrants. In his campaign announcement, Trump accused immigrants from Mexico of being criminals. . . .
‘When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best.’ . . . They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.’ . . .
‘Why are we having all these people from sh-thole countries come here?” the president asked, according to those in the meeting. ‘Why do we need more Haitians?’ Trump added. ‘Take them out.’ And days before the 2018 midterm election, the president characterized individuals crossing the border and seeking asylum as violent criminals terrorizing law enforcement and others on their way to wreak havoc in the United States.
“‘Some people call it an ‘invasion,’” he said. ‘It’s like an invasion. They have violently overrun the Mexican border. . . . They’ve injured, they’ve attacked, and the Mexican police and military has actually suffered.” – Trump’s Most Insulting — and Violent Language Is Often Reserved for Immigrants, The Washington Post, Eugene Scott, 10/2/19 [Link]
Fact Check of Quote Above: President Trump says he didn’t make the statement about snakes and alligators. But even if he did. So what? It would clearly be hyperbole and a joke, and no one would take it seriously except those in the media who dogmatically regard Trump as a deranged fiend. It’s a prejudice so strong that they will grasp at any straw to confirm it.
When the president criticized “immigrant” as criminals he apparently was referring to illegal aliens, who are in fact criminals because they break our immigration laws, as well as other laws. Many pundits don’t seem to think that breaking laws to enter and remain in our country is any big deal. Perhaps it is because they don’t think our country’s rule of law—or our country itself—is particularly significant.
Many of Trump’s critics were quite upset when he named some of the crimes that illegal aliens commit, including drug running and rape. The latter charge elicited the greatest outrage, but it was not out of bounds. As columnist Ann Coulter noted, many migrants come from cultures that wink at sexual crimes against women. And it’s a fact that many of the women who cross our border illegally are violated by other migrants and human traffickers. The president, however, did not paint all illegal aliens with this brush of violent crime. Some, he graciously conceded, are basically “good people.” For that concession, his critics seldom give him credit.
It is unclear whether the president actually referred to certain countries as “sh-tholes.” If he did, that was a crude and undiplomatic remark. Nevertheless, the general point was valid. Namely, why are we admitting so many immigrants from failed countries, a failure brought about by their dysfunctional cultures? And if we admit enough of them, will our culture start taking on their traits? As President Trump reportedly suggested it would be wiser to take more immigrants from successful countries. That proposal of simple common sense may offend politically correct sensitivities, but it’s hard to see how it could be called insulting and violent.
Finally, one wonders why it was inappropriate for President Trump to describe the violent surge of mobs at our border several months ago as an “invasion.” It certainly fits the Webster’s definition as an “intrusion or an infringement.”
Even if some of the president’s rhetoric is over the top, would it make any difference to his critics if he repented and became as meek and tactful as possible? Almost certainly not. What really bothers them, it seems, is not so much his rhetoric, but the fact that he is trying to secure our border and bring some sense to our broken policy of mass immigration. If they object to that, it says a lot about them.