Trump calls Kamala Harris 'mentally impaired' during 'dark speech' in Wisconsin

In a fiery speech delivered in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, on Saturday, former President Donald Trump took aim at immigration and Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump¡¯s speech, part of his bid for the Republican nomination, was filled with pointed remarks as he intensified his rhetoric on immigration in the 2024 election race.

Trump sharpens focus on Harris and immigration

Trump was particularly critical of Harris, who had just visited the U.S.-Mexico border as part of her 2024 presidential campaign. He referred to her as ¡°mentally impaired¡± and ¡°mentally disabled¡± in front of a crowd of supporters. Harris¡¯s visit coincided with Trump¡¯s speech, heightening the tension around immigration as the November 5 election nears.

Flanked by posters showing immigrants who had been arrested for serious crimes, Trump focused his speech on what he described as a growing threat posed by undocumented immigrants. He used terms like ¡°monsters,¡± ¡°stone-cold killers,¡± and ¡°vile animals¡± to describe violent offenders, aiming to rally voters by portraying immigration as a national crisis.

Trump also blamed President Joe Biden and Harris for what he called the failure to secure the U.S. border. He warned that some migrants crossing into the country had dangerous intentions, saying, ¡°They want to rape, pillage, thieve, plunder, and kill the people of the United States of America.¡± His stark language was designed to cast immigration as a critical threat under the current administration.

Acknowledging the grim nature of his remarks, Trump insisted that this was a necessary conversation. His comments followed a recent incident in Wisconsin, where a Venezuelan national living in the U.S. illegally was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman and attacking her daughter.

Immigration surge fuels debate

Immigration continues to be a dominant issue in the political landscape, especially given recent data showing that approximately 7 million migrants have been apprehended while crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally since Biden took office. The sharp increase in border crossings has led to heightened criticism from Trump and other Republicans, who accuse the administration of failing to protect American citizens.

Harris, while visiting the border, called for comprehensive reforms to address what she described as a ¡°broken immigration system.¡± In response to Trump¡¯s attacks, she accused him of ¡°fanning the flames of fear and division,¡± and emphasized that stopping fentanyl trafficking would be one of her top priorities. Harris¡¯s remarks aimed to address the broader issues associated with border security and the opioid crisis.

During his speech, Trump also repeated his unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election. He pledged that if reelected, and ¡°if allowed,¡± he would take legal action against those he believed were responsible for his loss in 2020.

While research generally shows that immigrants do not commit crimes at higher rates than native-born Americans, Trump¡¯s remarks continue to fuel a narrative linking immigration with crime. Critics argue that his rhetoric plays on fears and perpetuates harmful stereotypes.

Trump has a history of emphasizing cases where Hispanic offenders are accused of violence, often highlighting instances involving young women, while disregarding other crimes that do not fit this narrative. His critics say he is using the suffering of families affected by violence for political advantage. Still, some families who have been impacted by violent crime or the opioid crisis have expressed support for Trump¡¯s focus on these issues. Several parents who lost children to fentanyl, much of which enters the U.S. through the southern border, voiced their backing for Trump before his remarks.

Harris¡¯s border visit sparks criticism

Kamala Harris made her first visit to the U.S.-Mexico border on Friday (September 27) as the Democratic presidential candidate.

¡°The United States is a sovereign nation, and I believe we have a duty to set rules at our border and to enforce them. And I take that responsibility very seriously,¡± Harris said after touring a section of the border wall in Cochise County.

¡°I will do more to secure our border, to reduce illegal border crossings. I will take further action to keep the border closed between ports of entry,¡± she added.

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However, her visit was met with backlash from the National Border Patrol Council (NBPC), which represents U.S. Border Patrol agents. The union criticized Harris for her late response to the immigration crisis. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the NBPC stated, ¡°Vice President Harris has ignored the border problem she created for over three years. She goes down there for 20 minutes for a photo op.¡±

The union also pointed out, ¡°We have apprehended over 8 million illegal immigrants over the last 4 years, and now you realize we need more help 38 days before the election?¡±

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