Donald Trump, during his campaign trail in Iowa, intensified his rhetoric against undocumented immigrants, employing a phrase once used by German dictator Adolf Hitler.
What Happened: Trump asserted, “It's true, they [undocumented immigrants] are destroying the blood of our country. … They don't like it when I said that,” at the ‘Commit to Caucus’ event on Thursday, as reported by The Washington Post. The Republican Party is set to hold its caucuses in Iowa on Jan. 15, 2024.
Trump continued, stating, “I never read ‘Mein Kampf’ [Hitler’s autobiography].”
“They said, ‘Oh, Hitler said that,’ in a much different way. Now they're coming from all over the world. People all over the world. We have no idea,” he added. “They could be healthy, they could be very unhealthy, they could bring in disease that's going to catch on in our country. But they do bring in crime.”
The former president’s use of the phrase “poisoning the blood” in the past has drawn strong criticism from historians, civil rights activists, Democrats, and even some within his own party. They draw parallels between the reference and Hitler’s obsession with blood purity.
Why It’s Important: In response to Trump’s remarks, Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) commented, “Well, it strikes me it didn't bother him when he appointed Elaine Chao secretary of transportation.” Incidentally, Chao, a Taiwanese immigrant, is married to McConnell.
Turkish-born Iranian-American economist and NY University professor Nouriel Roubini, nicknamed “Dr. Doom,” asked on social media, “When Trump says that migrants are ‘poisoning the blood’ of the country, does he also refer to his wife Melania [Trump]?”
Melania, born in Slovenia, immigrated to the U.S. and became a naturalized citizen through the EB-1 visa, reserved for immigrants with ”extraordinary ability’ and “sustained national and international acclaim.”
Trump faced a setback on Tuesday when the Colorado state Supreme Court ruled against including him on the state’s ballot. However, he is leading the Republican primary race, according to opinion polls.
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