Former President Donald Trump delivered a speech in response to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union Address on Thursday night. Trump’s address centered on the issue of the border crisis, where he placed the responsibility for the situation squarely on the shoulders of the current president.
Since Biden assumed office, over 11 million undocumented immigrants have entered the United States.
“When I departed from office, we handed over to Joe Biden the most secure border in the history of the United States,” Trump asserted in a video shared on TruthSocial. He went on to mention that they implemented the “Remain in Mexico” policy, which was quite challenging to establish but was successfully achieved during his administration. This policy, aimed at asylum seekers, required them to wait in Mexico until their asylum case was processed, yet it was discontinued by Biden.”
Migrants now enter the U.S. and frequently choose not to return for their processing, resulting in no deportation if they are unqualified. Consequently, a significant number of border agents are occupied with processing these migrants.
Trump highlighted several policies during his tenure, including his swift deportation efforts, progress on the border wall, and the implementation of Title 42, a COVID-era measure aimed at preventing the entry of migrants in order to curb the spread of COVID-19.
“We had the safest border in the history of our country,” Trump asserted. “But as soon as he took office, Joe and his radical leftist allies intentionally dismantled each and every one of those effective policies that had made our border so secure.”
“This is turning into a real nightmare,” he exclaimed.
Illegal immigration has been on the rise, and it has brought along an increase in fentanyl smuggling and overdoses in the United States. Additionally, there have been high-profile crimes committed by illegal immigrants. One such crime was highlighted during Biden’s remarks.
During his speech on the border crisis, President Biden was interrupted by U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene from Georgia. She raised the issue of Laken Riley, a college student who was reportedly killed by an undocumented immigrant in Athens, Georgia.
Greene interrupted and derailed Biden’s speech, shouting, “Say her name!”
During the conversation, Biden paused and mistakenly referred to Lincoln Riley as “Lincoln.” He expressed his condolences for the loss of an innocent young woman who was killed by an individual residing in the country without legal documentation. However, Biden also raised a question about the number of people who have tragically lost their lives at the hands of individuals who are legal residents.
The gaffe received widespread criticism from politicians on both sides of the aisle.
After U.S. Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., delivered the official Republican response, Trump responded.
During Biden’s address, Trump took to his social media site, TruthSocial, to express his thoughts. He posted a series of passionate messages before, during, and after the speech.
“Why doesn’t he mention East Palestine and the other towns all across America that he has abandoned and devastated with inflation?” Trump questioned.
During the State of the Union address, President Biden criticized his predecessor multiple times without explicitly mentioning his name. He went as far as likening him to a threat to Democracy, drawing parallels to the impact of the Civil War.
Biden’s comments provoked a strong and fiery reaction from Trump.
Trump and Biden are currently leading the race as the presumptive nominees for their respective parties in the upcoming November 2024 election. However, it is important to note that their official nominations have not been announced yet. Former Ambassador and Governor Nikki Haley recently withdrew from the race after facing a significant setback on Super Tuesday. Despite being able to secure a victory in only one out of 15 states, she faced overwhelming defeat in the remaining 14 states.
Towards the conclusion of his video response, Trump seized the opportunity to criticize Biden for the issue of inflation, highlighting the economic prosperity achieved during his own presidency.
“We had the most prosperous economy in the history of the world,” exclaimed Trump confidently. He went on to assert, “It’s about time we let corrupt Joe Biden know that he’s being let go!”