'Disgusted': White House slams Trump's 'bad genes' remark on immigrants
What's the story
Former United States President Donald Trump has sparked a major controversy with his recent comments on immigration. In an interview with conservative host Hugh Hewitt, Trump suggested that migrants who have committed murders in the US did so because "it's in their genes." He also blamed them for introducing "a lot of bad genes in our country right now." The White House was quick to condemn these remarks as "hateful and disgusting."
Controversial remarks
Trump's comments on immigration
During the interview, Trump slammed Vice President Kamala Harris's handling of border control. He alleged that 13,000 murderers had entered through an open border and were now living in the US. "I believe this: it's in their genes. And we got a lot of bad genes in our country right now," he said. Condemning Trump's remarks, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, "That type of language is hateful, it's disgusting, it's inappropriate, and has no place in our country."
Official response
White House condemns Trump's 'hateful and disgusting' statement
The former president is no stranger to controversial comments on immigration. Previously, he had used derogatory terms like "animals" and "killers" to describe immigrants. He had once said that immigrants entering the US illegally are "poisoning the blood of our country," a rhetoric once used by Adolf Hitler. The Nazi dictator spoke of impure Jewish blood "poisoning" Aryan German blood to degrade Jews and justify the systematic slaughter of millions during the Holocaust.
Campaign defense
Trump campaign defends his comments on immigrants
In the wake of the backlash, Trump's campaign clarified that his comments about "bad genes" were directed at murderers, not migrants. Karoline Leavitt, the national press secretary for Trump's campaign, slammed media outlets for defending "murderers, rapists, and illegal criminals" in their rush to write negative headlines about Trump. The former president has made illegal immigration a key part of his 2024 campaign, promising to launch the greatest deportation operation in US history if elected.