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Former President Donald Trump was seen waving at people across the U.S.-Mexico border during his visit to Eagle Pass, Texas.
In a video shared to X, formerly Twitter, by Alex Lorusso, executive producer of conservative podcast The Benny Show, the former president is seen standing at a barbed-wire fence next to Texas Governor Greg Abbott, gesturing to people on the other side of the Rio Grande. Trump made a visit to Shelby Park on Thursday along the U.S. southern border to discuss immigration policies amid his 2024 reelection campaign.
After gesturing, Trump turned to a camera crew behind him and said, “They like Trump. Can you believe it?”
“They like the governor,” he added, patting Abbott on the back.
Trump’s visit was welcomed by Abbott, a Republican who has repeatedly fought with the Biden administration over handling the increasing number of migrant encounters in border states. The former president gave a brief speech on Thursday, attacking President Joe Biden’s immigration policies, blaming the Democratic president for what he described as “Biden migrant crime” and an “invasion” of the country.
Biden spent Thursday afternoon with federal Border Patrol officials in Brownsville, Texas, more than 300 miles southeast of Eagle Pass. The president spent his appearance at the southern border urging Republicans to back his border bill, and blamed Trump for the spending measure’s failure earlier this month.
Biden also asked Trump to “join” him in supporting his security package, adding, “We can do it together.”
Michael Gonzalez/Getty Images
“You know and I know, it’s the toughest, most efficient, most effective border security bill this country’s ever seen,” the president added.
Newsweek reached out to Trump’s campaign via email for further comment on his visit Thursday.
The dual border visits come roughly eight months before voters will cast their ballots for the next U.S. president. Biden and Trump are the anticipated nominees for their respective parties.
Trump has made border security a major part of his campaign, and has vowed to return to policy promises made during his first term in office, including finishing a border wall to help curb illegal immigration. The former president has also promised to “carry out the largest domestic deportation operation in American history” if reelected back to the White House.
Biden has faced backlash from both sides of the aisle over his handling of the southern border. The president is also urging lawmakers to pass a $118 billion security bill that includes $20 billion to help secure it. The measure was blocked by GOP members in the Senate, however, after Trump claimed that passing the bill would be “a great gift to the Democrats.”
Trump’s reelection campaign bashed the White House for making plans to visit the U.S.-Mexico border on the same day as the former president, claiming that “Biden’s handlers are sending him there on the same day as President Trump’s publicly reported trip, not because they actually want to solve the problem, but because they know Biden is losing terribly.”
Biden dismissed accusations that he visited the southern border—his first trip there since January 2023—in response to Trump’s plans, telling reporters on Monday, “I planned it for Thursday. What I didn’t know was that my good friend apparently is going.”
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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