Former president Donald Trump made a charitable gesture by handing out food to Texas National Guard soldiers, troopers, and others who will be working at the border during Thanksgiving. However, he then expressed disappointment that there wasn’t enough food left for him.
During the event, Trump commented, “The food looked very good. I wanted to have some, but they didn’t have any for me. They had none left. That’s not good. That’s my kind of food too,” which elicited some chuckles from the crowd.
Trump’s visit to Texas was to endorse Gov. Greg Abbott for reelection. In his endorsement speech later that day, Trump referred to migrants as “the enemy.”
Both Abbott and Trump have strongly opposed migrants coming across the U.S. southern border and have used racist rhetoric to push their views. Abbott has implemented a program that buses migrants from Texas to Democratic-led cities such as New York and Washington, D.C.
Trump has promised to be even more racist and anti-immigrant than his first time in office. He has advocated for “ideological screening” of immigrants before they are allowed to enter the country and has vowed to bring back and expand his ban on Muslims entering the country.
Furthermore, Trump has pledged to end birthright citizenship, a right guaranteed by the 14th amendment, for children of undocumented immigrants. He has stated that immigration is “a very sad thing for our country; it’s poisoning the blood of our country.”
The Biden campaign has responded to Trump’s racist and xenophobic plans, condemning his policies as cruel and meant to stoke fear and division. They argue that allowing Trump back in the Oval Office would lead to mass detention camps, attempts to deny citizenship to children born in the U.S., and mass deportations.
It is clear that both Trump and Abbott have taken a hardline stance on immigration, using divisive and discriminatory language to support their views.