Donald Trump killed the bipartisan border bill to save his campaign
Trump killed a bipartisan bill because he knew it would render his entire campaign irrelevant. And now, he's visiting the Arizona border to complain.
Donald Trump is able to go to the U.S. border with Mexico and rail about a crisis because he made sure there was a crisis to rail about.
Earlier this year, Republicans in the U.S. Senate bowed to Trump’s demands and killed a bipartisan security bill introduced by Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, Republican Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma and Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut.
Trump even bragged about killing the border security package, saying, “I think we killed it. I think it’s dead! But you can never say it because bad bills always come back to life because these guys make a lot of money with bad bills.”
Trump’s view of “bad” is different from yours or mine.
'Bad' border bill was actually very good
The bipartisan bill was not bad for border security. It was not bad for those looking to stop the flow of illegal drugs. It was not bad for those working to solve the asylum problem. It was not bad for the border patrol, since it included more officers and enhanced security.
In essence, the bill was not bad for America, just the opposite.
The border security bill was only bad for one thing — Donald Trump’s campaign.
Court agrees to send: Bigoted border bill to voters
The things Sinema’s bill was designed to do would have rendered the centerpiece of Trump’s entire campaign irrelevant.
So, he ordered his MAGA cohorts in Congress to kill it, and they did. And now Trump is going to the border to complain about a crisis that he personally willed to exist.
Border agents wanted it. Trump torpedoed it
Some of you won’t accept that. You believe Trump, not some hack newspaper columnist.
Fine.
How about the president of the National Border Patrol Council?
The council, which represents approximately 18,000 Border Patrol agents and support personnel, endorsed Sinema’s border security package.
Brandon Judd, president of the council, said in part in a statement after the bill was introduced, “The Border Act of 2024 will give U.S. Border Patrol agents authorities codified, in law, that we have not had in the past. This will allow us to remove single adults expeditiously and without a lengthy judicial review which historically has required the release of these individuals into the interior of the United States.
“This alone will drop illegal border crossings nationwide and will allow our agents to get back to detecting and apprehending those who want to cross our borders illegally and evade apprehension. While not perfect, the Border Act of 2024 is a step in the right direction and is far better than the current status quo.
“This is why the National Border Patrol Council endorses this bill and hopes for its quick passage.”
That is also why — exactly why — Trump torpedoed it.
Reach Montini at ed.montini@arizonarepublic.com.
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