Republican Pours Cold Water on Donald Trump’s Migrant Remarks

Representative Mike Turner, an Ohio Republican, said on Sunday he disagreed with former President Donald Trump’s migrant remarks that he made during Saturday’s rally.

President Joe Biden continues to face bipartisan criticism over his handling of the U.S.-Mexico border as the country continues to experience a high number of migrant border crossings. There were more than 2.4 million encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border during the 2023 fiscal year, up from roughly 1.7 million in 2021, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data.

Republicans say the uptick in migrants is a direct result of Biden’s border policies, which they argue incentivize illegal immigration. Others have said factors including political and financial instability in some Central American countries drive migration to the U.S.

Trump, the presumed 2024 GOP presidential nominee, was in Ohio on Saturday for a campaign stop at the Buckeye Values PAC rally and received criticism for several remarks he made including that some undocumented immigrants are “not human” while also making unfounded claims that other countries were letting criminals out of prisons to cross into the U.S.

In a Sunday interview with ABC News’ This Week with host Martha Raddatz, Turner was asked about the specific language the former president used to describe migrants. While Turner said he disagrees with the comment, he believes Trump is the only candidate that can fix the issues at the border.

“I of course disagree with this, I think the American public disagrees. But I do think that people see that Donald Trump is the only candidate in this race that’s going to be able to fix this crisis,” Turner said.

The congressman, who endorsed Trump in December, added: “I think there are statements he makes that many Americans do not agree with and many Americans would agree with it. When you talk about what’s happening at the border, this is absolutely a crisis that is created by this [Biden] administration.”

Newsweek has reached out to Turner’s office, Trump’s spokesperson and the White House via email for comment.

Immigration is among the top issues ahead of the 2024 presidential election, with polls showing doubts over Biden’s handling of the situation, on which Trump has promised tougher action.

In regards to the southern border, Biden previously signaled that he’s open to “massive changes,” asking Congress to embrace a bipartisan Senate deal that would pair border enforcement measures with aid to Ukraine to help in its ongoing war with Russia

However, the GOP-led House struck down the bipartisan border security bill in the Senate last month, as conservative hardliners argue the bill does not go far enough to end illegal immigration into the U.S. At least 60 “yes” votes were required to advance the bill to the House, where House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, had already declared the legislation “dead on arrival.”

Meanwhile, Trump’s comments at Saturday’s rally has continued to face criticism for telling rallygoers that if he doesn’t get reelected in November “it’s going to be a bloodbath for the country.”

However, conservatives defended Trump’s comments, noting that he was discussing the auto industry, not physical violence.

“We’re gonna put a 100 percent tariff on every single car that comes across the line, and you’re not gonna be able to sell those guys if I get elected,” Trump said while criticizing overseas manufacturing production. “Now, if I don’t get elected, it’s going to be a bloodbath for the whole. That’s going to be the least of it. It’s going to be a bloodbath for the country.”

Steven Cheung, the Trump campaign’s communications director, told Newsweek in an email on Saturday night that “economically it will be a bloodbath because Crooked Joe Biden’s policies have decimated working families.”