Donald Trump ramped up his inflammatory rhetoric against immigrants and Vice President Kamala Harris during a speech in Wisconsin on Saturday. In one of his most heated addresses, the former president focused heavily on undocumented immigrants who have committed violent crimes, using harsh language to describe them as “monsters” and “vile animals.” Trump’s speech also included escalated personal attacks on Harris, calling her “mentally impaired” and “mentally disabled” after she made her first visit to the U.S.-Mexico border as part of her 2024 presidential campaign.
Speaking in the battleground state, Trump was flanked by posters depicting immigrants arrested for violent crimes and banners calling for the deportation of all undocumented immigrants. His remarks centered almost entirely on the topic of immigration, a key issue for many voters in the upcoming November 5 election. Trump blamed Harris and President Joe Biden for a record number of 7 million migrant arrests under their administration, accusing them of letting criminals into the country who, according to him, aim to “rape, pillage, thieve, plunder, and kill.”
Trump acknowledged the dark tone of his speech, saying, “This is a dark speech,” as he emphasized crimes allegedly committed by immigrants, particularly against women. His remarks were delivered in Prairie du Chien, a small Wisconsin town where a Venezuelan immigrant was recently arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman and attacking her daughter.
In response to Trump’s speech, Sarafina Chitika, a spokesperson for Harris, criticized Trump, stating, “He’s got nothing ‘inspiring’ to offer the American people, just darkness.” Harris had addressed immigration issues during her visit to the border the day before, outlining her plans to fix what she called the “broken immigration system” and accusing Trump of stoking fear and division. She also called for tighter asylum restrictions and prioritized stopping fentanyl smuggling into the U.S., a pressing issue for both parties.
Trump’s speech included his usual claim that the 2020 election, which he lost to Biden, was rigged. He also hinted that if he wins reelection, he would pursue legal action against those he blames for his loss.
While immigration has been a focal point of Trump’s campaigns, critics have accused him of promoting racist stereotypes, especially by focusing on crimes committed by Hispanic immigrants. Studies generally show no evidence that immigrants commit crimes at a higher rate than native-born citizens. Despite this, Trump often highlights cases involving young female victims of Hispanic assailants to support his narrative of a violent immigrant threat. His opponents argue that he exploits grieving families to push this divisive agenda, though some of the families affected by violent crimes or opioid deaths have embraced Trump’s attention to the issue.
Several parents of teenagers who lost their lives to fentanyl or violence committed by undocumented immigrants spoke in support of Trump before his remarks, underscoring the emotional weight of the debate on immigration and crime.