Former President Donald Trump visited Sierra Vista, Arizona, on Thursday, where he strongly reiterated his uncompromising approach to combating illegal immigration. Standing between a section of the border wall he had constructed and a pile of steel beams, Trump sought to create a stark visual contrast between his approach to border security and that of his Democratic rival, Kamala Harris.
This visit, his fourth in a key swing state this week, was intended to reinforce his message on immigration as he campaigns for the presidency. Accompanied by the Cochise County sheriff, the head of the Border Patrol union, and mothers whose children were killed or seriously injured by suspects linked to illegal immigration, Trump delivered a pointed critique of the current administration.
“What President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have done to the families here with me, and to so many others—thousands upon thousands—not only those killed but also those gravely injured to the point that they will never lead a normal life again, is shameful and wrong,” Trump declared.
As part of his swing state tour, which coincides with the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Trump has also visited Pennsylvania, Michigan, and North Carolina. On Friday, he is scheduled to visit Las Vegas and Glendale, a suburb of Phoenix, where independent candidate Robert Kennedy Jr., nephew of former President John F. Kennedy, is expected to announce his withdrawal from the race and his endorsement of Trump, according to reports in the American press.
The New York Times reported that Kennedy’s support for Trump would mark the culmination of weeks of high-level discussions between the two men’s intermediaries, though nothing has been finalized yet.
The rally in Arizona is the second outdoor event Trump has held since surviving an assassination attempt on July 13. On Thursday afternoon, Cochise County police were searching for a 66-year-old man who allegedly posted death threats against the former president on social media.
“I’ve been told that it was very dangerous to make this trip,” Trump told reporters, expressing confidence that the Secret Service, which provides protection for former U.S. presidents and other high-profile individuals, would do its job “as it should.”
