Trump intensifies anti-immigrant rhetoric in Nevada speech, targeting undocumented immigrants in early voting states
Former President Trump escalates anti-immigrant rhetoric in Nevada speech, targeting undocumented immigrants as GOP nominating contest approaches
During a Sunday campaign stop in Nevada, former President Donald Trump intensified his anti-immigrant rhetoric, particularly targeting undocumented immigrants. He highlighted examples of undocumented immigrants committing violent crimes in the US and stoked fears about migrants crossing the US-Mexico border, ahead of the GOP nominating contest next month.
Nevada, third on the GOP nominating calendar and home to a large Latino population, became the site of Trump's claim that migrants were "invading" the US from prisons and "mental institutions" in other countries. He also emphasized his commitment to carrying out the "largest deportation operation in American history."
As the voting approaches, Trump is doubling down on his anti-immigrant rhetoric, reminiscent of his successful 2016 nomination campaign, and facing similar backlash.
Former President Donald Trump addressed a campaign event at the Whittemore Center Arena in Durham, New Hampshire on December 16, 2023. The event was part of his campaign ahead of the New Hampshire primary on January 23. (Photo by Scott Eisen/Getty Images)
Scott Eisen/Getty Images
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The previous president's speech in Reno took place a day after he repeated controversial language linking undocumented immigrants to white supremacist rhetoric. During a campaign stop in New Hampshire, he stated that undocumented immigrants were "poisoning the blood of our country."
His remarks on Saturday received swift criticism from one of his 2024 GOP rivals, Chris Christie. The former New Jersey governor stated on Sunday that Trump was using coded language to shift the blame for economic and foreign conflict-related stress onto people who are different from the majority.
Christie expressed her disgust for him on CNNs "State of the Union." Despite numerous legal challenges that could impact the election, Trump maintains a strong lead among GOP base voters. His team is making an aggressive effort to hold onto that polling edge with frequent travel to early contest states like Iowa, New Hampshire, and Nevada.
On Sunday, Trump detailed his plans to ramp up his administration's strict immigration policies, proposing to redirect a significant portion of federal law enforcement to immigration enforcement and redeploying thousands of troops from overseas to the southern border. Additionally, he has pledged to reinstate and expand travel bans on Muslim-majority countries and African nations, as well as implementing plans to detain and deport undocumented immigrants already in the US. These potential second term plans have been reported by CNN.
Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Hialeah, Fla., Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Lynne Sladky/AP
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Following campaign stops in Iowa and New Hampshire, Trump made an appearance in Nevada. He encouraged his supporters to "pretend we're losing," aiming to boost turnout in the February caucuses. A return trip to Iowa is scheduled for Tuesday.
"We need to act like we're tied. Act like we're losing by three. You have to do this, because the worst thing is everyone thinks, Oh, why bother voting? Trump is killing it. And then bad things happen," Trump addressed his supporters at a convention center in Reno.
Trump currently leads the GOP primary field by approximately 40 percentage points nationally, according to the most recent CNN Poll of Polls. In the latest average, Trump has 61% support, compared to 17% for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and 11% for former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.
The ex-president is aiming to neutralize any progress his main rivals in the GOP nomination may have made recently. In New Hampshire, where the first Republican primary takes place, Haley secured a major endorsement from Governor Chris Sununu. DeSantis, banking on a strong Iowa showing to boost his campaign, has shown a newfound assertiveness in confronting Trump in the past week, launching criticisms during a CNN town hall on Trump's presidency and his unpredictable language.
Meanwhile, the super PAC Never Back Down, which supports DeSantis, is in chaos after losing a fourth senior official this month. Chief strategist Jeff Roe resigned on Saturday due to remarks made by the fundraising groups' chairman and interim CEO, Scott Wagner, regarding the high-profile departures of three other officials earlier in December.
DeSantis and Trump will be two of the Republican candidates participating in the party-run caucuses in Nevada on February 8th. Meanwhile, Haley has chosen to compete in the state-run presidential primary on February 6th. The results of the caucuses will determine the allocation of delegates to next year's Republican convention.
Trumps visit to Reno comes shortly after a Nevada grand jury indicted six individuals for acting as fake electors in an attempt to overturn Biden's 2020 election victory. Trump himself is facing criminal charges for his efforts to overturn the election and continues to make false claims about the election being stolen from him, as well as spread conspiracy theories about voter fraud.
On Sunday night, the former president expressed sympathy for the Nevada fake electors, including Michael McDonald, the state GOP chairman, whom he called "a tremendous guy" who "gets treated so unfairly and he loves this country and he loves this state." Trump also praised several other fake electors by name, who are set to be arraigned Monday. A federal judge overseeing Trump's 2020 election interference case last week temporarily paused all procedural deadlines, potentially delaying the start of his March trial. The development was welcomed by Trump and his legal team, who have been pushing to postpone proceedings until after the November election.
Trump is a defendant in multiple election interference cases, facing a total of 91 criminal charges across four separate cases. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. This story and headline have been revised to include Trump's remarks in Nevada.
CNNs Eric Bradner, Kit Maher, Jeff Zeleny, Aaron Pellish and Steve Contorno contributed to this report.
