Trump emphasizes anti-immigration stance during New Hampshire rally
Former President Trump fuels controversy with incendiary remarks at New Hampshire rally, reiterating divisive anti-immigrant sentiments linked to white supremacist rhetoric
During a campaign event in New Hampshire on Saturday, former President Donald Trump made controversial comments about immigrants, stating that they are "poisoning the blood of our country." This is not the first time that Trump has used inflammatory language, as he previously referred to his political rivals as "vermin," drawing criticism from President Joe Biden, who likened his comments to "language you heard in Nazi Germany."
At a rally in Durham, New Hampshire, on Saturday, Trump addressed the crowd, expressing his concerns about immigrants coming into the country from various parts of the world, and the impact they have on the country's institutions. He emphasized that this is a global issue, not limited to South America.
ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt connected President Trump's language to the ethnically motivated massacres in Pittsburgh in 2018 and El Paso, Texas in 2019, stating that it has the potential to incite real danger and violence. Greenblatt emphasized that such toxic rhetoric should not have a place in politics.
The ex-president is intending to significantly expand upon his original administration's tough immigration policies if he wins a second term in 2024, including the apprehension of undocumented immigrants in the US and holding them in detention centers until they are deported, as per a source speaking to CNN last month.
On Saturday, Trump once again put forward his plan to "reinstate and broaden" the travel restrictions first introduced for certain countries in 2017, and vowed to "enforce rigorous ideological vetting for all illegal immigrants." The travel restrictions focused on several Muslim-majority nations and African countries, prompting criticism that they were racially biased.
Trump made a trip to New Hampshire to gather support in his effort to establish himself as the leading 2024 Republican candidate just before the state's GOP presidential primary. It was his first time visiting the Granite State in over a month, where he held a rally in the liberal county of Durham. On Sunday, he is scheduled to hold an event in Reno, Nevada, followed by another event in Waterloo, Iowa on Tuesday, marking his second visit to the Hawkeye State in a week.
Trump's team is aggressively campaigning to maintain his lead in the polls. Privately, his advisers are worried that his supporters may not feel the need to vote because they believe he already has a comfortable advantage. Trump himself has urged his supporters to go out and vote during a rally in Coralville, Iowa.
Trump's visit to New Hampshire follows a visit from his rival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and comes at a time when former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley is gaining momentum in the state, with support from the popular Governor Chris Sununu. DeSantis also mentioned that Trump may challenge the legitimacy of the New Hampshire primary results if he does not win.
"He will definitely claim it was stolen if Trump loses, no matter what," he informed reporters in Concord, New Hampshire.
DeSantis also criticized Trump's interaction with New Hampshire voters, questioning, "When was the last time he stood on a stage and just answered questions from voters? Has he done that at any point during this campaign? He certainly hasn't done it on a debate stage."
Sununu told reporters on Tuesday that he saw the Republican primary in New Hampshire as a two-person contest. "It all comes down to Nikki Haley and Donald Trump. There are no other serious contenders," Sununu stated, showing respect to the other candidates.
Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event in Coralville, Iowa, on December 13, 2023.
Scott Olson/Getty Images
Urgency mounts for Trumps GOP rivals in pre-holiday blitz through Iowa and New Hampshire
After Sununu's endorsement, Trump criticized the New Hampshire governor as "unelectable" and dismissed Haley as having "no chance of winning."
A Trump campaign adviser informed CNN that the team has no intention of altering its strategy in light of Haley's increasing prominence in the race following Sununu's endorsement.
The impact of Sununu's endorsement on the primary is uncertain. A recent poll in Iowa showed limited growth in DeSantis' support after an endorsement by another popular governor, Kim Reynolds. In New Hampshire, a recent poll showed Trump with 42% support in the Republican primary, with Haley as his closest challenger at 20%.
Trump's lead in national polls is stronger than ever, with a Pew Research Center survey showing that 52% of Republican and Republican-leaning registered voters prefer him as their top choice in the primary. His closest competitor, DeSantis, lags far behind at just 14%.
Pushing back against the idea that Haley, with Sununu's support, is gaining momentum, Trump told supporters in Iowa, "There’s no surge. They don’t have any surge."
This story and headline have been updated with additional information.
CNNs Steve Contorno, Jeff Zeleny and Alison Main contributed to this report.
