The debate over immigration has reached a boiling point this week. The government briefly shut down over the weekend after Congress was unable to reach a promised deal to decide the fate of hundreds of thousands of young DACA recipients. The government re-opened on Monday with a promise from Mitch McConnell that the legislature would – once and for all – hold an open, honest debate on the Senate floor over comprehensive immigration reform, a deal that has eluded law makers for decades.
The fallout which led to the shutdown was accelerated by President Donald Trump who not only reneged on his promise to sign "any legislation" on immigration that made it to his desk, but also referred to immigrants from Haiti and African nations as people from "s***hole countries" – adding that the U.S. does not "need" any more of them.
The White House denies that the president used that language – but "tough words" aside, the president's newest political ad for his re-election shows that regardless of what he said behind closed doors, the substance behind Trump's words is certainly sincere.
The trial has been marred in vulgar outbursts, with Bracamontes shouting racial slurs at witnesses on the stand and saying (as we see in Trump's ad) "the only thing that I f*****g regret is that I f*****g just killed two" – referring to the officers he is standing trial for murdering.
"It's pure evil."
Using the terrifying template of Bracamontes, the ad continues. "President Trump is right – build the wall. Stop illegal immigration now."
In case you weren't scared enough, we see another clip of Bracamontes who vows, "I will break out soon. and I will kill more."
"Democrats who stand in our way," the narrator adds, "will be complicit in every murder committed by illegal immigrants."
In a statement, Michael Glassner, the executive director of Trump's reelection campaign committee, said the ad was intended to highlight "the stark contrast between 'complicit' Democrats and the President for his full commitment to build a wall and fix our border to protect Americans from drugs, murder and other atrocities."
Meanwhile, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders said, "It is really unbelievable and so sad for our country that we have a President of the United States that says such nonsense and such outrageous statements." Other, more partisan outlets have referred to the ad as a disgusting display of race-baiting and akin to literal Nazi propaganda.
While most people undoubtedly fall somewhere in the middle, so long as the immigration debate continues to be dominated by voices on the fringe – including the President's – its hard to see how ads this brutal ever slow down.
The fallout which led to the shutdown was accelerated by President Donald Trump who not only reneged on his promise to sign "any legislation" on immigration that made it to his desk, but also referred to immigrants from Haiti and African nations as people from "s***hole countries" – adding that the U.S. does not "need" any more of them.
The White House denies that the president used that language – but "tough words" aside, the president's newest political ad for his re-election shows that regardless of what he said behind closed doors, the substance behind Trump's words is certainly sincere.
President Trump Says Democrats are Complicit in the Deaths of Police Officers
Taking a page right out of the "Willie Horton" playbook, Donald Trump's political ad opens with footage from the ongoing trial of Luis Bracamontes – an illegal immigrant from Mexico accused of killing two Sacramento-area Deputies in 2014, officers Danny Oliver and Michael Davis.The trial has been marred in vulgar outbursts, with Bracamontes shouting racial slurs at witnesses on the stand and saying (as we see in Trump's ad) "the only thing that I f*****g regret is that I f*****g just killed two" – referring to the officers he is standing trial for murdering.
"It's pure evil."
Using the terrifying template of Bracamontes, the ad continues. "President Trump is right – build the wall. Stop illegal immigration now."
In case you weren't scared enough, we see another clip of Bracamontes who vows, "I will break out soon. and I will kill more."
"Democrats who stand in our way," the narrator adds, "will be complicit in every murder committed by illegal immigrants."
Reaction to Trump's New Political Ad
The ad – which was released on the anniversary of Donald Trump's inauguration, and amid a government shutdown, has garnered reactions ranging from praise to outright disgust.In a statement, Michael Glassner, the executive director of Trump's reelection campaign committee, said the ad was intended to highlight "the stark contrast between 'complicit' Democrats and the President for his full commitment to build a wall and fix our border to protect Americans from drugs, murder and other atrocities."
Meanwhile, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders said, "It is really unbelievable and so sad for our country that we have a President of the United States that says such nonsense and such outrageous statements." Other, more partisan outlets have referred to the ad as a disgusting display of race-baiting and akin to literal Nazi propaganda.
While most people undoubtedly fall somewhere in the middle, so long as the immigration debate continues to be dominated by voices on the fringe – including the President's – its hard to see how ads this brutal ever slow down.