Current:Home > NewsTrump uses a stretch of border wall and a pile of steel beams in Arizona to contrast with Democrats-LoTradeCoin
Trump uses a stretch of border wall and a pile of steel beams in Arizona to contrast with Democrats
View Date:2024-12-23 16:52:11
SIERRA VISTA, Ariz. (AP) — On a dirt road below the shrub-dotted hills of Arizona, Donald Trump used a stretch of wall and a pile of steel beams to draw a visual contrast between his approach to securing the border and that of his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris.
Trump brought along grieving mothers, the sheriff of Cochise County and the head of the Border Patrol union to echo his tough-on-border security message at Thursday’s visit, which was themed “Make America Safe Again.”
“To my right is what we call Trump wall. This was wall that was built under President Trump,” said Paul Perez, the president of the Border Patrol union. “To my left, we have what we call Kamala wall. It’s just sitting there doing nothing, lying down.”
The visit was the fourth in a series of events held in battleground states this week to try to draw the focus away from Democrats’ celebration of Harris’ presidential nomination in Chicago. Speakers at the convention on Wednesday night accused Trump of using the border to stir up his base by demonizing immigrants.
Joining Thursday’s border visit were the mothers of children who were killed during the Biden administration in cases where the suspects are immigrants in the country illegally. Trump frequently highlights attacks involving immigrants to fuel concerns about the Biden administration policies, though some studies have found that people living in the U.S. illegally are less likely than native-born Americans to have been arrested for violent, drug and property crimes.
“I just really, really, really want everybody to please take into consideration how important border control is because we’re losing very innocent people to heinous crimes,” said Alexis Nungaray, the mother of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray, who was strangled to death in Houston in June.
At the Arizona event, snipers stood nearby at an elevated position, their eyes and weapons pointed toward Mexico, a day after Trump held his first outdoor rally since an assassination attempt last month. Security forces were also visible on the Mexican side of the border, including several men with rifles and tactical gear. Others wore uniforms identifying them as members of the Mexican state police.
“What Biden and Kamala have done to the families here with me and so many others, thousands and thousands of others, not only killed, but also really badly hurt, badly hurt to a point where they’ll never lead a normal life again. It’s shameful, and it’s evil,” Trump said.
The Biden administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the wall materials that were lying there at the site during the visit.
In his tour of battleground states this week, Trump has traveled to Pennsylvania, Michigan and North Carolina and will hold events in Las Vegas and the Phoenix suburb of Glendale on Friday. His running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, spoke at the same location near the border a few weeks ago.
Elected Democratic officials argued Wednesday night at the convention that their party is the one offering real leadership on border issues.
“When it comes to the border, hear me when I say, ‘You know nothing, Donald Trump,’” said U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, who represents the border city of El Paso, Texas. “He and his Republican imitators see the border and immigration as a political opportunity to exploit instead of an issue to address.”
What to know about the 2024 Election
- Today’s news: Follow live updates from the campaign trail from the AP.
- Ground Game: Sign up for AP’s weekly politics newsletter to get it in your inbox every Monday.
- AP’s Role: The Associated Press is the most trusted source of information on election night, with a history of accuracy dating to 1848. Learn more.
U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, spoke after a video played showing Republican opposition to a bipartisan border deal earlier this year. Murphy was the top Democrat negotiating the proposal with conservative senators and said the bill would have had unanimous support if it weren’t for Trump.
Trump was asked about the deal, and he called it “weak” and “ineffective,” adding a bill was not needed for President Joe Biden to take action.
“He didn’t need a bill. He knows that,” he said. “You know I didn’t have a bill. I said ‘close the border.’”
___
Gomez Licon reported from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Associated Press writer Farnoush Amiri contributed to this report from Chicago.
veryGood! (7)
Related
- 12 college students charged with hate crimes after assault in Maryland
- Exclusive: 25 years later, Mark McGwire still gets emotional reliving 1998 Home Run Chase
- UN atomic watchdog warns of threat to nuclear safety as fighting spikes near plant in Ukraine
- Republicans’ opposition to abortion threatens a global HIV program that has saved 25 million lives
- ‘I got my life back.’ Veterans with PTSD making progress thanks to service dog program
- Presidents Obama, Clinton and many others congratulate Coco Gauff on her US Open tennis title
- Derek Jeter returns, Yankees honor 1998 team at Old-Timers' Day
- Who says money can’t buy happiness? Here’s how much it costs (really) in different cities
- Wind-whipped wildfire near Reno prompts evacuations but rain begins falling as crews arrive
- No, a pound of muscle does not weigh more than a pound of fat. But here's why it appears to.
Ranking
- Too Hot to Handle’s Francesca Farago Gives Birth, Welcomes Twins With Jesse Sullivan
- Appeals court slaps Biden administration for contact with social media companies
- 'Brought to tears': Coco Gauff describes the moments after her US Open win
- Andy Reid deserves the blame for Chiefs' alarming loss to Lions in opener
- Singles' Day vs. Black Friday: Which Has the Best Deals for Smart Shoppers?
- New Mexico governor issues order to suspend open and concealed carry of guns in Albuquerque
- Judge denies Mark Meadows' bid to remove his Georgia election case to federal court
- Tough day for Notre Dame, Colorado? Bold predictions for college football's Week 2
Recommendation
-
Prayers and cheeseburgers? Chiefs have unlikely fuel for inexplicable run
-
From leaf crisps to pudding, India’s ‘super food’ millet finds its way onto the G20 dinner menu
-
Greek authorities evacuate another village as they try to prevent flooding in a major city
-
How did NASA create breathable air on Mars? With moxie and MIT scientists.
-
Trump has promised to ‘save TikTok’. What happens next is less clear
-
Greece hopes for investment boost after key credit rating upgrade
-
Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet Attend Star-Studded NYFW Dinner Together
-
Huawei is releasing a faster phone to compete with Apple. Here's why the U.S. is worried.