Trump slams deal that would give Biden authority to close border
The former president has made immigration reform and the border a central plank of his election campaign.
The day after President Joe Biden ramped up his rhetoric on a border deal, former President Donald Trump again tried to undercut the chances of significant immigration reform this year.
“A bad border deal is far worse than no border deal,” the former president and GOP presidential frontrunner wrote in all-caps on Truth Social.
The bipartisan deal, which Senate negotiators have not yet finalized, could grant Biden’s administration the authority to shut down the border if pre-determined triggers for daily border crossings are met.
“What’s been negotiated would – if passed into law – be the toughest and fairest set of reforms to secure the border we’ve ever had in our country,” Biden said in a statement Friday.
“It would give me, as President, a new emergency authority to shut down the border when it becomes overwhelmed. And if given that authority, I would use it the day I sign the bill into law,” he continued, urging Congress to pass the legislation.
Trump’s solidifying of his status as the GOP frontrunner for the presidential nomination in New Hampshire this week threw Senate talks on the border deal into chaos, with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell eventually dispelling doubts about his commitment to a deal.
While many Senate Republicans are on board with the deal, it is far less popular among Trump-aligned House Republicans, including Speaker Mike Johnson.
Trump has made immigration reform and the border a central plank of his election campaign.
Trump reprised his frequent criticisms of the current state of the southern border Saturday, writing that “it is the WORST BORDER IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD, an open wound in our once great Country,” and demanding the border be closed.