BORDER/IMMIGRATION/RACISM/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump amplified his heated immigration rhetoric on Tuesday [6-19-18], accusing Democrats of wanting migrants to ‘infest our country’ and turning a speech on the economy into an angry tirade defending his harsh stance. It was a reflection of Trump’s growing frustration that the family separation crisis roiling his administration has led to accusations of child abuse and heartlessness. Privately, Trump has insisted he is right to push forward with a practice that has drawn outcry from across the political spectrum. In a morning tweet, Trump used language evoking images of pests, not human beings, when describing migrants approaching the US border…It was a defiant stance amid growing outrage at the family separations. Democrats and some Republicans have decried the practice as cruel, citing images of children being detained inside chain-link cages, some erected inside empty box stores. But Trump and his aides have staunchly insisted they have no choice, instead blaming Democrats for not supporting legislation that would allow the practice to end. That’s a false claim; The family separations are a result of the administration’s ‘no tolerance’ immigration policy. But Trump reiterated the accusation on Tuesday.”
-Betsy Klein and Kevin Liptak, “Trump ramps up rhetoric: Dems want ‘illegal immigrants’ to ‘infest our country’,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, June 19, 2018 2:45 pm