President Donald Trump continues as the weeks and months of his presidency drag on to insist on his ideological platforms above all else. To that end, he ranted this Tuesday about the supposed need for his long sought wall between the United States and Mexico, offering up dubious claims about the realities of the situations we’re faced with in the meantime.
He ranted:
‘Could somebody please explain to the Democrats (we need their votes) that our Country losses 250 Billion Dollars a year on illegal immigration, not including the terrible drug flow. Top Border Security, including a Wall, is $25 Billion. Pays for itself in two months. Get it done!’
He offered zero immediate justification for his claim that the United States loses $250 billion a year to undocumented immigration, although he’s argued similarly in the past.
His past arguments — including one that PolitiFact explored — have relied on deeply biased data produced by interests hellbent on curtailing if not altogether stopping certain immigration to the United States. They’ve put this data and their conclusions forward based on assumptions like that most children in programs to learn English are those of undocumented immigrants and that those children grow up to be drains on American society who fail to integrate.
That doesn’t even touch on the utter absurdity of the president yet again circling back to demanding the full cost of the wall from Congress now or else. His administration has previously sought lower amounts closer to the $1-2 billion range, and even that has faced roadblocks — after the president previously insisted that Mexico would pay for the wall.
What ever happened to that claim, eh Trump? His rhetorical house of cards just keeps falling apart.
Featured Image via YouTube screenshot
