In a significant development, former President Donald Trump clinched a landmark victory in the Iowa Caucus, securing 51% of the vote.
However, his victory speech was not aired by MSNBC and CNN, leading to a wave of criticism against the media outlets.
MSNBC chose not to broadcast Trump's speech, a decision defended by primetime host Rachel Maddow. "Of course, there is a reason that we and other news organizations have generally stopped giving an unfiltered live platform to remarks by former President Donald Trump," Maddow stated. She further explained, "It is not out of spite, it is not a decision that we relish, it is a decision that we regularly revisit, and honestly, earnestly, it is not an easy decision, but there is a cost to us as a news organization in knowingly broadcasting untrue things."
Meanwhile, CNN anchor Jake Tapper interrupted Trump's speech as he began discussing the issue of illegal immigrants entering the U.S. through the southern border. Tapper labeled Trump's comments as "anti-immigrant rhetoric," stating, "Under my voice, you hear him repeating his anti-immigrant rhetoric."
In his speech, Trump expressed concern over the "invasion" of illegal migrants, a number that has surged during President Joe Biden's administration. "We have to seal up the border," Trump declared. "Because right now we have an invasion. We have an invasion of millions and millions of people that are coming into our country. I cant imagine why they think thats a good thing, its a bad very thing."
Trump further warned about the origins of these migrants, stating, "And you know theyre coming from prisons and jails, theyre coming from all over, theyre coming from countries that most people have never heard of, and theyre coming from mental institutions and insane asylums, theyre being emptied out into our country." He continued, "And theyre terrorists, many terrorists are coming in."
According to Customs and Border Protection, border officials apprehended over 2.4 million illegal immigrants in the 2023 fiscal year, and over 483,000 in the 2024 fiscal year thus far. This figure for 2024 is roughly equivalent to the total number of apprehensions in the entire 2020 fiscal year, the last year of the Trump administration.
In the 2024 Republican primary race, Trump leads with 63%, while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley are roughly tied at 11%, as reported by FiveThirtyEight. Trump's victory in the Iowa Caucus, where he surpassed DeSantis, who secured 21.2% of the vote, and Haley, who garnered 19.1%, underscores his enduring influence within the Republican party.
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