Former President Trump is doubling down. Some are wondering if he’s gone too far.
Because Donald Trump has raised eyebrows with this seriously blunt comment about illegal immigrants.
On Monday, CNN host Jim Acosta engaged in a heated debate with commentator Scott Jennings over former President Donald Trump’s controversial remarks at a recent rally. Trump joked about UFC President Dana White starting a “migrant fight league,” suggesting that the champion of this league might be tougher than the UFC champion. Acosta aired a clip of Trump’s comments on CNN Newsroom With Jim Acosta, labeling them as “ugly” and “dehumanizing.” However, Jennings argued that Trump was highlighting a serious issue that goes beyond the joke itself.
Jennings defended Trump’s comments, stating, “In a way only Donald Trump can, he is drawing attention to the violent activity that we have seen in places all over this country.” In response, Acosta sarcastically questioned if Trump had been watching too many gladiator movies.
Jennings emphasized the need to focus on the real issues, saying, “Listen, you can worry about the rhetoric, or you can worry about the m*rders, the r*pes, the kidnappings that we’ve seen. This is a big part of their campaign.”
He pointed to a recent incident in Oklahoma, where 23-year-old Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, an illegal immigrant from El Salvador, was arrested for the r*pe and m*rder of a mother of five. Martinez-Hernandez had previously committed a m*rder in his home country before entering the United States.
Acosta pushed back, insisting, “It’s dehumanizing rhetoric, Scott.”
Jennings countered, asking, “Would you say it is more or less dehumanizing than m*rdering and r*ping someone?”
Acosta asserted that crime rates have significantly declined despite the influx of migrants, leading to a debate on crime committed by both migrants and citizens.
Acosta questioned the rationale behind Trump’s rhetoric, asking, “Why is one of the two presidential candidates talking about putting migrants into gladiator fight-like experiences? After family separations and everything else we’ve seen during the Trump presidency, the Trump experience, they’re talking about deportation camps, fight clubs. At what point does your side say enough is enough on that kind of rhetoric? It’s dehumanizing.”
Jennings responded, suggesting that Republicans would continue to highlight what they perceive as Joe Biden’s failures, saying, “At that point are the Republicans going to stop drawing attention to what they think is Joe Biden‘s biggest failure?”
When Acosta pressed Jennings on whether he supported the idea of “migrant fight clubs,” Jennings dismissed it as a joke meant to underscore a serious issue. “He’s clearly joking at these rallies, but he’s drawing attention to something that’s no laughing matter. And that’s the violence being committed against a number of people,” Jennings stated.
'It's Dehumanizing': Jim Acosta Clutches Pearls, Spars With Guest Over Trump's Migrant Fight Club Joke pic.twitter.com/9ZKgksYXsD
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) June 24, 2024
This comes after a segment on CNN when Acosta and Jennings corrected Democratic strategist Maria Cardona’s claim that Hispanics do not support mass deportation. Citing a CBS/YouGov poll conducted from June 5-7, Jennings noted that over 50% of Hispanic Americans support a new national program to deport all undocumented immigrants, with only 47% opposing it. He told Cardona she would be “embarrassed” when she looked up the poll data.
Donald Trump recently came under fire from some of those within his camp for voicing support for giving green cards to immigrants who end up completing a degree at an American university. He immediately faced backlash from those who say that this would be continuing to incentivize illegal immigration rather than addressing the real issue at hand, which is border insecurity.
MAGA: “how could Trump betray us on immigration?!”
Anti-abortion crowd: pic.twitter.com/J9M52W2MOo
— Lizzie Marbach (@LizzieMarbach) June 21, 2024
That being said, it’s clear Donald Trump is far better on immigration than the Joe Biden administration could ever dream of being. Joe Biden has been facing very intense criticism from within Democrat circles for suggesting that amnesty for hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants is a good idea.
Furthermore, for months he has been claiming that he has done all he can do on illegal immigration without the help of Congress to address the issues at the border. Then he basically admitted to lying to the American people by signing new executive orders to try and keep illegal immigration below a certain threshold.
Those executive orders have been extremely ineffective and even many former Democrat voters are wondering if Joe Biden just isn’t worth their vote this time around come November.
The Conservative Column will keep you updated on any major immigration news.
