zPresident Donald Trump on Wednesday shared a racist video on Twitter that depicts Latin American immigrants as violent “cop killers” and that blames Democrats for allowing such migrants to enter the United States.
“It is outrageous what the Democrats are doing to our Country,” Trump tweeted alongside the video. “Vote Republican now!”
Trump’s tweet comes less than one week before the midterm elections, and also as a caravan of thousands of migrants makes its way across Mexico and approaches the U.S. southern border.
The video Trump shared shows footage of a Mexican national named Luis Bracamontes who smiles while boasting about murdering police officers. According to CNN, Bracamontes had previously been deported but ultimately returned to the U.S. and was convicted in February after he murdered two policemen in California.
Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter!
A week of political news in your in-box.
We find the news you need to know, so you don't have to.
“I killed f—ing cops,” a grinning Bracamontes says in the video, which shows him being held in a courtroom. “They’re f—ing dead, I don’t f—ing regret that s—.”
He then adds: “I’m going to kill more cops soon.”
The video also reveals Fox News aired uncensored footage of Bracamontes making those statements. The clip ends with the phrase: “President Donald J. Trump and Republicans are making America safe again!”
SLIDESHOW: DONALD TRUMP’S 30 CRAZIEST TWEETS
Trump’s tweet on Halloween marks his latest attempt at race-baiting at a time when the country is extremely divided. The president, his allies and many conservatives — including anchors from Fox News — have pushed conspiracy theories about who is helping the immigrants traveling to the U.S. Billionaire liberal philanthropist George Soros is among the many Democrats who have been accused of funding the migrant caravan.
Tom Perez, the Democratic National Committee Chairman, responded to the ad Trump shared on CNN’s Cuomo Prime Time.
“This is distracting, divisive Donald at his worst,” Perez said on the show. “This is fear mongering. … They have to fear monger and his dog whistle of all dog whistles is immigration. This has been Donald Trump’s playbook for so long.”
The video Trump tweeted has drawn comparisons to a famous ad financed by former President George H.W. Bush‘s campaign in 1988. That ad showed Willie Horton, an African-American convicted murderer and rapist who was furloughed under a program in Massachusetts when Democrat Michael Dukakis was governor.
The attack ad against Dukakis showed Bush as supporting the death penalty for convicted felons like Horton.
California Democratic Rep. Jackie Speier slammed Trump on CNN this week for his decision to send more troops to the border to deal with the migrant caravan.
“We are sending 10 to 15,000 troops, which means we are going to spend between $100 (million) and $150 million so he can have, I guess his surprise, his October surprise,” Speier said.
Fox News anchors have also falsely claimed the immigrants are carrying diseases like leprosy.
https://youtube.com/shorts/YVrfbMZSVRE?feature=share US President-elect Donald Trump drew cheers as he arrived in Texas on Nov. 19 to watch…
After President-elect Donald Trump selected Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman, as his nominee for…
President-elect Donald Trump's announcement that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will be his pick for Department…
https://youtube.com/shorts/6CUvTmS87UM?feature=share President-elect Donald Trump arrived to cheers at an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event in…
President-elect Donald Trump's nomination of former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) as his attorney general has sent shockwaves through…
https://youtube.com/shorts/TD8RNJl-NBk A fight broke out in one of the stands at the Stade de France…