Former President Donald Trump, during a campaign stop in Albuquerque promised his New Mexico voter base more fracking, tighter border security and an end to so called “sanctuary cities.” He spoke for for about an hour and a half before promising to “make America great again,” and boarding his private plane headed to Henderson, Nevada.
Trump opened by acknowledging that many believe he will not win New Mexico in November’s election and said his campaign staff told him not to make a stop.
“I said, ‘Why? They don’t want to stop the people pouring across the border that are murderers, they’re killers, they’re drug addicts, they’re drug dealers, they’re gang members,” Trump said.
He went on to claim that “Hispanics love Trump,” adding “they’re smart, they’re entrepreneurial as hell.”
A recent Pew Research Center study reported that 39% of Latinos said they would vote for Trump, compared to the 57% who said they would vote for Vice President Kamala Harris.
Trump made his usual insults toward Harris, Hillary Clinton — calling her “Crooked Hillary”, President Joe Biden — calling him “Sleepy Joe,” while also throwing jabs at the group of press covering the event by using the term “fake news” at least half a dozen times.
Trump avoided mentioning any down-ballot Democrats by name, but took more swings at Harris for what he said was a failure to secure the border between New Mexico and Mexico. He later promised to invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to mass deport immigrants who he called “vicious and blood thirsty criminals.”
“You have to go back that far because, as we’ve grown and grown our politics and politicians have become weaker and weaker.”
He also said if elected, he would push for the death penalty for “any migrant who kills an American citizen.”
Oil and gas extraction was also a common theme in his speech.
He said he would “make America affordable again” by eliminating many regulations and by increasing oil and gas production.
“We’ve got to get those costs down, and I’m going to get them down,” Trump said. “You know how I’m going to get them down? Drill baby, drill.”
Trump ended his speech with another promise to bolster border security by claiming the U.S. is being invaded by immigrants.
“We will not be invaded, we will not be occupied, we will not be overrun, we will not be conquered,” he said. “We will be a free and proud nation, once again.”
Trump’s visit was marked with a reminder from Mayor Tim Keller that the City of Albuquerque still holds a $200,000 unpaid invoice for the last time the Trump campaign came through New Mexico. The visit also comes on the heels of the campaign and state Republicans scrambling to find alternative parking options after state Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard denied the use of the Isleta Amphitheater parking lot.
All photos by Roberto Rosales
