03 April 2024 , 11:35
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Donald Trump called out Joe Biden on his impact on immigration and crime, accusing the president of "destroying the country", before then making an uncomfortable mistake when referencing murder victim Ruby Garcia.
The controversial comments were made during his campaign tour in two key Midwestern swing states. Trump criticised Biden's handling of the US-Mexico border, saying "every town is now a border town" following Biden's presidency.
In Grand Rapids, Michigan, Trump dehumanised immigrants suspected of crimes by describing them as "animals," language condemned by Democrats and academics who study extremism.
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Trump neglected to mention how crime rates have actually fallen overall (Getty Images)"Under Crooked Joe Biden, every state is now a border state. Every town is now a border town," Trump said during his speech, where he stood surrounded by law enforcement officers in uniform in front of a line of flags - a hard commitment to his idea of law and order.
Man who 'killed 4 students' was 'creepy' regular at brewery and 'harassed women'
Illegal border crossings have reached record highs under Biden's presidency and Trump and other Republicans have used specific crimes allegedly committed by immigrants to criticise Biden, despite overall crime rates decreasing nationally.
Polls suggest that Trump has an edge over Biden on immigration issues, with many potential voters expressing concern about illegal border crossings ahead of the election.
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Trump said Garcia was 17, when she was actually 25 (GoFundMe)While speaking at a Tuesday rally, Trump focused on the tragic case of Ruby Garcia, a Michigan woman who was found shot dead on the side of a Grand Rapids highway on March 22 following an argument with a suspect police say she was romantically involved with.
Brandon Ortiz-Vite confessed to shooting her multiple times during an argument before leaving her body on the side of the road and driving her red Mazda away from the scene. In his rally speech, Trump incorrectly referred to 25-year-old Ruby as a 17-year-old when citing the traumatic incident.
Oritz-Vite admitted to shooting Garcia (Kent County Jail)On Monday, Trump told conservative Michigan radio host Justin Barclay that he'd "love to have" members of Ruby's family in attendance "if they'd like to be there - it'd be in my honour."
However, Ruby's sister made a plea on social media last week, begging reporters to stop using her sister's story for political purposes after authorities revealed that Ortiz-Vite is a Mexican citizen who had previously been deported following a drunk driving arrest.
Trump also claimed that he'd spoken to members of Ruby's family about the shooting, but her sister claims this isn't true. "He did not speak with any of us, so it was kind of shocking seeing that he had said that he had spoke with us, and misinforming people on live TV," Mavi Garcia told local news station Target 8.