Donald Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination, on Saturday expressed concerns about undocumented immigrants, stating that they were "poisoning the blood of our country." Addressing a rally in Durham attended by thousands of supporters, Trump highlighted the surge in migrants attempting to cross the U.S. border illegally.
“They’re poisoning the blood of our country,” Trum said. He also pointed out that immigrants were coming to the U.S. from Asia and Africa in addition to South America.
“All over the world they are pouring into our country,” he added. Trump has promised to crack down on illegal immigration and restrict legal immigration if he emerges victorious in 2024 presidential election.
Earlier, in an interview with The National Pulse, a right-leaning website, Trump had used the "poisoning the blood" language. His campaign spokesperson, Steven Cheung, dismissed criticism, noting that similar language was prevalent in books, news articles and on TV.
While the phrase was not part of Trump's prepared remarks for the event, it remains unclear whether it was a planned statement or an impromptu remark, according to news agency Reuters.
As the leading candidate for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, Trump has made border security a central theme of his campaign. He pledges to reinstate his previous hardline immigration policies and introduce new measures to further control immigration.
Contrastingly, President Joe Biden, the presumed Democratic nominee, has focused on implementing more humane and orderly immigration policies, facing challenges amid record levels of migrants. Trump has repeatedly criticized Biden's approach to the border issue. During the recent event, he even recited modified lyrics likening immigrants to deadly snakes.
If re-elected, Trump has vowed to "stop the invasion of our southern border" and initiate what he claims would be the "largest domestic deportation operation in American history."
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