This One Tweet About Trump's Threat To The Migrant Caravan Shows Why It's So Terrifying
For those keeping score at home, President Donald Trump hit a new low on Nov. 1 in a speech he gave on immigration. In his address, he shared well-worn comments and falsehoods on the subject, which, you probably know, isn't totally surprising. But things took a major turn when he addressed asylum seekers who are traveling to the United States southern border. Donald Trump's comment threatening migrants about throwing rocks is even catching some heat online, and this one tweet perfectly sums up why it's so controversial.
In recent weeks, Trump has been focused on the subject of a caravan made up of several thousand migrants who have been heading towards the United States. The caravan is composed of people fleeing violence in Central America and includes families, women, and children, but has been the subject of several conspiracy theories. Referencing reports that migrants have clashed with authorities at the Mexico-Guatamala border, Trump said such behavior would not be tolerated and suggested that troops he dispatched to the border could fire on migrants for throwing rocks. "They want to throw rocks at our military, our military fights back," he said. "I told them, consider it a rifle." Elite Daily reached out to the White House for further comment on Trump's remarks, but did not hear back by the time of publication.
He was immediately met with widespread criticism for the comment, with many people calling him out for supporting such a contentious issue and seemingly opening the floodgates for violence against migrants. Charlotte Clymer of the Human Rights Campaign, who is also a military veteran, was one of those critics and she swept in with a perfect summary of why the comment is so terrifying.
Clymer first noted that shooting at a person for throwing rocks is a violation of "rules of engagement for combat." However, she suggested, for a young service member who is new to the military community and stressed out, it might contribute to turning a confusing situation into a dangerous one. "His 'president' just told him it's okay," she wrote.
"Terrifying," she declared.
Trump has made immigration his main focus ahead of the Nov. 6 elections, often offering up many threats and wild comments as the race approaches in hopes of galvanizing Republican voters. On Oct. 30, for example, Trump announced that he is planning to revoke birthright citizenship by executive order, although he likely doesn't actually have the power to do it. Trump's argument for ending birthright citizenship is that the United States is the only country that grants it, which is simply not true. Elite Daily reached out to the White House for further comment on Trump's reasoning behind trying to end birthright citizenship, but did not immediately hear back.
Before that, on Oct. 19 he referred to the migrants as "hardened criminals" without any apparent evidence. When he got called out about it, he failed to offer up a legit justification for his comment. Instead, he brushed off the question by telling inquiring New York Times reporter Emily Cochrane, "Don't be a baby." Elite Daily reached out to the White House for further comment and clarification on his remarks, but did not receive a reply.
Between his latest comments and mounting backlash rolling in by the day, Trump might want to think hard about his comments on immigration going forward.
