Donald Trump announced Thursday that he would reverse President Joe Biden’s order clamping down on illegal border crossings if elected. Speaking at his first campaign event since being found guilty of 34 felonies, Trump also threatened to impose tariffs on countries that fail to stem the flow of migrants into the United States.
In Phoenix, Arizona, Trump emphasized the use of economic power to address immigration issues. “We have tremendous economic power … if China or some other country is behaving badly, we have things called tariffs that are so severe,” he said. “We are going to be so tough, and if a country is not going to behave, we’re going to tariff the hell out of that country.”
This event marked Trump’s first public appearance since his conviction on charges related to falsifying business records. The audience in this key southwestern border state responded enthusiastically, asking questions primarily focused on immigration, an issue that polls show is a top concern for voters ahead of the November 5th election.
Biden, in an effort to address criticism of his handling of immigration, recently issued an executive order barring migrants who enter the U.S. illegally from claiming asylum when numbers surge past 2,500 in a day. The order also facilitates the deportation of people back to Mexico and remains in place until daily crossings fall below 1,500.
Trump criticized Biden’s policy as insufficient and promised to rescind it if he wins the election. “On day one of my administration, I will be rescinding crooked Joe’s outrageous executive order,” he told the cheering crowd, calling it “pro-invasion, pro-child trafficking … pro-drug dealers.” He pledged to terminate every open borders policy of the Biden administration.
Arizona, which Biden won in 2020 by a narrow margin of 10,000 votes, is expected to be a pivotal state in the upcoming election. Trump plans to continue campaigning aggressively in key swing states, with a rally scheduled in Nevada on Sunday.