Trump proposes that individuals who are undocumented and engage in murder possess inherent genetic flaws.
During a chat on "The Hugh Hewitt Show," Trump once more twisted immigration and crime stats to slam Vice President Kamala Harris, erroneously suggesting she was letting 13,000 "murderers" enter through an open border.
"You know what? A murderer, I'm telling you this - it's in their DNA. And we've got a lot of bad DNA flowing around in our nation right now," Trump stated.
CNN reached out to Trump's campaign for a response.
This was just one more case of Trump employing insulting and denigrating speech as he accused unauthorized immigrants and threatened mass expulsions if he gets re-elected. Immigration crackdown has been a major focus in Trump's 2024 election campaign message, and he frequently employs offensive and belittling language when discussing unauthorized immigrants.
Last autumn, Trump mentioned during an interview that unauthorized immigrants were "contaminating the lifeblood of our country," language that resonates with White supremacists and nationalists, drawing criticism from human rights organizations. Trump has also propagated baseless conspiracy theories about Haitian migrants devouring pets in Springfield, Ohio.
Trump has also used genetics as a talking point in his campaigns, telling a rally in Minnesota in 2020, "You've got good genes. Most of it is about genes, isn't it? The racehorse theory. You think we're all that different? You have good genes here in Minnesota."
The "racehorse theory" comes from the notion in horse breeding that selective breeding yields better breeds.
Politics often serves as a platform for controversial statements, and Trump's rhetoric on immigration has not been an exception. His comments about unauthorized immigrants being a source of "bad DNA" and "contaminating the lifeblood of our country" have sparked criticism and allegations of xenophobia and racism.
