Former President Donald Trump has once again been the center of controversy for his comments about undocumented immigrants. In a recent interview on October 7, 2024, Trump suggested that immigrants who commit homicides do so because of “bad genes,” again using rhetoric that has been described as dehumanizing and provocative.
Statements during a radio interview
In his participation on “The Hugh Hewitt Show,” a conservative radio program, Trump once again distorted immigration and crime statistics to attack Vice President Kamala Harris.
He falsely claimed that the administration was allowing “13,000 murderers” into the country through an “open border.” Trump added that, in his opinion, “a killer has it in his genes” and stated that the country has “a lot of bad genes right now.”
Dehumanizing rhetoric as part of your campaign
This is the latest example of how Trump uses derogatory and dehumanizing language in his 2024 presidential campaign, where one of his pillars has been the promise to toughen illegal immigration. Trump has promised mass deportations if he returns to the White House and has made immigration a central theme of his political message. Over the past few months, he has resorted to these types of inflammatory statements, which seek to stoke fears about undocumented immigrants.
Past comments and racial controversy
This is not the first time that Trump has resorted to speeches that echo racial and supremacy theories. In an interview last year, he said undocumented immigrants were “poisoning the blood of our country,” a term that has historically been associated with white supremacist and nativist movements. These statements drew criticism from several civil rights groups.
Additionally, in 2020, during a campaign stop in Minnesota, Trump referenced the “racehorse theory” when praising his supporters. He said that in Minnesota “they have good genes.” This theory comes from selective horse breeding, which holds that genetic selection can produce superior bloodlines. A comparison that has been interpreted as an attempt to glorify the genetics of certain groups of people.
Impact of your comments
Trump’s claims about undocumented immigrants have not only been controversial for their content, but also for their lack of statistical support.
Civil rights organizations and academic studies have shown that undocumented immigrants have lower crime rates than U.S.-born citizens. However, Trump continues to use these types of statements to reinforce his political message and feed an anti-immigrant narrative.
In the context of his campaign, these words seek to mobilize his most conservative followers. It then fuels fear and distrust towards people who enter the country without documents. His use of such charged rhetoric has drawn both praise from his supporters and severe criticism from his opponents. They consider that their speeches fuel racism and xenophobia.
It is evident that Trump will continue to use these issues as a political strategy, reaffirming his firm stance on immigration and appealing to an electorate that shares his vision.
However, his statements continue to generate a broad debate about the limits of political discourse and the impact that these words can have on the social cohesion of the country.
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