Waterloo (USA): Former US President Donald Trump, addressing a crowd of over 1,000 supporters in Waterloo, Iowa on Tuesday, defended his recent remarks about immigrants crossing the southern border, reinforcing his stance on their alleged impact on the nation's blood. Trump, denying any similarity to fascist writings, notably mentioned Adolf Hitler's manifesto Mein Kampf.
"I never read Mein Kampf," Trump declared, dismissing comparisons to fascist ideologies. Doubling down on his anti-immigrant rhetoric, he reiterated his views that immigrants entering the country illegally were "destroying the blood of our country" and dismantling its fabric. During the rally, Trump emphasized his concerns about the influx of migrants, characterizing it as a border catastrophe and neglecting to address the Colorado Supreme Court's decision disqualifying him from the state's ballot under the insurrection clause.
The former president's history of contentious remarks about immigrants dates back to his 2015 campaign launch, where he infamously labelled Mexican immigrants as "bringing drugs, crime, and being rapists."
In his current campaign, Trump has advocated increasingly authoritarian measures, pledging to reinforce efforts to restrict citizens from specific Muslim-majority nations and intensify ideological screening for immigrants. Despite Trump's supporters acknowledging the effectiveness of his border policies, opinions on his rhetoric diverged. While some, like Marylee and John Geist, stressed the importance of legal immigration, others, like 22-year-old Alex Litterer, emphasized the contributions of legally immigrated individuals to the nation's diversity.
Recent polling indicates that a majority of Americans believe the nation's diverse population strengthens the country. However, about a third express concerns that increased immigration diminishes the influence of native-born Americans, as per a late 2021 Associated Press-NORC poll.