WASHINGTON — President Trump sought Tuesday to wrap himself in pro-immigrant sentiment — despite the fact that his administration has waged a years
WASHINGTON — President Trump sought Tuesday to wrap himself in pro-immigrant sentiment — despite the fact that his administration has waged a yearslong assault on the nation’s immigration system — by presiding over a naturalization ceremony on the White Home in the course of the second evening of the Republican Nationwide Conference.
Utilizing the majesty of the White Home for blatantly political functions, Mr. Trump appeared in the course of the conference’s second hour as “Hail to the Chief” performed and strode to a lectern the place 5 immigrants have been ready to take the oath to turn into residents.
“Right now, America rejoices as we welcome 5 completely unbelievable new members into our nice American household,” he informed them in a 10-minute ceremony that had been taped within the afternoon.
It was not the primary time Mr. Trump has presided over such a ceremony. However the willingness to make use of the trimmings of presidential energy throughout a marketing campaign conference was a surprising departure from the previous, wherein prior presidents have averted seeming to blur the strains between official actions and political exercise.
And Mr. Trump’s express declare that he loves and appreciates immigrants stands in stark distinction to his file over the previous 4 years, throughout which he has repeatedly pursued anti-immigrant insurance policies, typically fueled by xenophobic language.
The president has largely blocked asylum seekers and refugees fleeing persecution, warfare and violence. He has constructed almost 300 miles of border wall (although with out persuading Mexico to pay for it, as he as soon as insisted). He has made it tougher for poor folks to immigrate to america, imposed journey bans on predominantly Muslim nations, and separated migrant youngsters from their mother and father on the border.
At instances, he has used racist messaging, condemning “shithole nations” and complaining that individuals from Haiti “have AIDS.”
That messaging was on the coronary heart of Mr. Trump’s 2016 marketing campaign, when he complained that Mexico was sending “rapists” and criminals to america. On the time, he vowed to construct a border wall and used grim and threatening language about immigrants to instill concern in his supporters.
As president, he made good on a lot of these guarantees, and once more used a concern of immigrants to energise his core supporters in the course of the 2018 midterm elections. He warned, falsely, that migrant caravans from Central America have been stuffed with murderers and criminals when actually most have been households with ladies and youngsters fleeing persecution, warfare, famine and violence.
The 2018 effort largely failed as Democrats retook management of the Home. However Mr. Trump and his political advisers have signaled that they nonetheless intend to make use of immigration as a central difficulty in his re-election marketing campaign.
On Tuesday evening, the choice to preside over the naturalization ceremony seemed to be meant to melt his assaults on immigration for specific teams of voters: suburbanites, folks of coloration and ladies who is likely to be postpone by his often strident discuss.
After listening to the 5 immigrants take the oath required to turn into residents, Mr. Trump approached the lectern to briefly share every of their tales.
“Congratulations,” he mentioned. “That’s unbelievable. That’s actually nice.”
However the strongly anti-immigrant message that he has lengthy delivered to his most fervent supporters shouldn’t be prone to change anytime quickly.
Although he praised the brand new residents, Mr. Trump has lengthy sought to cut back authorized immigration into america and has just lately moved to shrink or get rid of visa packages that permit firms to rent foreigners to work in america. Aides to the president brag in regards to the reductions in total immigration, saying the efforts are serving to shield People from having to compete with immigrants for jobs.
Simply final week, throughout a briefing from border officers in Yuma, Ariz., the president had related reward for a really totally different achievement.
“That’s unbelievable. That’s unbelievable,” he informed border officers in regards to the completion of almost 300 miles of the border wall. “So, it’s an amazing — it’s an amazing feeling to have closed up the border.”