Donald Trump is leaning into a nativist, anti-immigrant message in the final stage of his third presidential campaign, advancing a closing argument centered on fearmongering, falsehoods and stereotypes about migrants as polls show his edge on economic issues fading.
In recent days, the former president has suggested that “bad genesâ€� are to blame for people in the country illegally who have committed murders, reprised his warnings about a migrant “invasionâ€� and suggested Vice President Kamala Harrisâ€
He will campaign in Aurora, Colo., on Friday, after promoting false claims about Venezuelan gangs taking over residential buildings in the Denver suburb.
Illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border are down significantly this year after the Biden administration imposed sweeping restrictions on asylum, and most experts say that immigration has boosted the U.S. economy. But polls show Trump has a clear advantage on the issues of immigration and border security, and the former president and his allies are wagering that his false and exaggerated claims about migrants will excite his base and propel him to victory.
Trumpâ€
“He doesnâ€
His base, however, is elated.
“Today I make you this promise: I will liberate Wisconsin and our entire nation from this mass migration invasion of murderers, child predators, drug dealers, gang members and thugs. Itâ€
The crowd roared. “Trump! Trump! Trump!� they cheered, offering the loudest standing ovation of the rally.
Trump has frequently used dehumanizing language to describe migrants, referring to them as “savage criminals� and “animals.� He has said undocumented immigrants are “poisoning the blood of our country,� and he has promoted false claims about migrants eating pets in Springfield, Ohio, and bankrupting the small Pennsylvania town of Charleroi. His ads mentioning immigration frequently refer to migrants as “illegals� and include ominous imagery of people flooding the U.S.-Mexico border.
The ex-president has long relied on incendiary rhetoric against immigrants as a political tactic, dating back to the launch of his first presidential campaign in 2015. Since then, he has further sharpened those attacks and leaned even harder on immigration — which has been a centerpiece of his 2024 campaign, as it was in 2016 — as polls have shown that he is losing his edge on the economy.
Trump himself has suggested the border is a bigger issue than the economy.
“I know they do all these polls, and the polls say itâ€
Karoline Leavitt, a Trump campaign spokeswoman, said in a statement that Trump remains focused on both the economy and immigration, which poll as top-of-mind for voters.
“Day in and day out, President Trump focuses on the issues that matter most to Americans: inflation hurting their pocketbooks and illegal immigration invading their country,� Leavitt said. “He will continue to discuss both issues over the next 26 days.�
At recent campaign stops, Trump has distorted official Homeland Security Department statistics on undocumented immigrants with homicide convictions, falsely claiming that the Biden administration “released� them when, in reality, the government numbers Trump is citing span decades and include people who are serving time in state and federal prisons.
His promises to expel undocumented immigrants — and many people who are legally present in the United States — have drawn some of the largest cheers at his rallies. During the Juneau rally, cheers erupted again as Trump promised to end “the invasion of savage criminals� and begin the “the largest deportation in American history� on his first day in office.
He repeatedly leaned on fear tactics in his remarks, saying that Harris, if elected, will “inundate your towns with illegal alien criminalsâ€� and “even if they havenâ€
Greg Fredrick, 57, who attended the Juneau rally, agrees with the former presidentâ€
“In Dodge County, weâ€
Fredrick raised concern over the number of illegal border crossings by migrants coming from China and other nations not typically known to come to the United States through the southern border. “Somethingâ€
Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), often blame immigrants for the countryâ€
“If Kamala is reelected, your town, and every town just like it, all across Wisconsin and all across our country — the heartland, the coast, it doesnâ€
A Fox News poll last month found that 51 percent of registered voters favor Trump on the economy, compared with 46 percent who favor Harris. Thatâ€
Inflation dropped in September to its lowest level in more than three years, and the Federal Reserve cut interest rates last month for the first time in more than four years. But many Americans continue to express concerns about the cost of living.