Former U.S. president Donald Trump on Saturday said he floated the idea of having a 鈥渕igrant league of fighters鈥� to UFC President Dana White, again employing dehumanizing language to describe people who enter the U.S. illegally.
鈥淚 said, 鈥楧ana, I have an idea: Why don鈥檛 you set up a migrant league of fighters and have your regular league of fighters. And then you have the champion of your league 鈥� these are the greatest fighters in the world 鈥� fight the champion of the migrants. I think the migrants鈥� guy might win, that鈥檚 how tough they are,鈥� the presumptive GOP presidential nominee said at a gathering of Christian conservatives in Washington.
Trump added, 鈥淗e didn鈥檛 like that idea too much, but actually, it鈥檚 not the worst idea I鈥檝e ever had.鈥�
The former president repeated the comments at a campaign rally in Philadelphia later Saturday.
U.S. President Joe Biden鈥檚 campaign swiftly denounced the comments Saturday afternoon.
鈥淔itting that convicted felon Donald Trump spent his time at a religious conference threatening to round up Latinos, bragging about ripping away Americans鈥� freedoms, and promising to be even more extreme if he regains power,鈥� spokesperson Sarafina Chitika said. 鈥淭rump鈥檚 incoherent, unhinged tirade showed voters in his own words that he is a threat to our freedoms and is too dangerous to be let anywhere near the White House again.鈥�
The former president has repeatedly used dehumanizing and inflammatory rhetoric when referring to immigrants and has made stoking fears about undocumented immigrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border a central part of reelection campaign. He said at a campaign rally in Ohio in March that he thought some undocumented migrants were 鈥渘ot people,鈥� and weeks later said he thought undocumented migrants who commit violent crimes are 鈥渘ot humans鈥� and instead 鈥渁nimals.鈥�
Trump used language often employed by White supremacists and nativists when he claimed in an interview last year that undocumented immigrants were 鈥減oisoning the blood of our country.鈥� The Biden campaign drew a link between the comments and Adolf Hitler, who wrote about the 鈥渃ontamination of the blood鈥� or 鈥渂lood poisoning鈥� in 鈥淢ein Kampf.鈥�
The former president regularly claims without evidence that other countries are sending 鈥減risoners, murderers, drug dealers, mental patients and terrorists鈥� to the US. At his campaign rallies, he spotlights violent crimes committed by undocumented immigrants as he bashes Biden鈥檚 handling of security at the border.
As president, Trump took steps to curb both illegal and legal immigration, targeting visa programs and seeking to restrict refugee resettlements. He also temporarily banned travel from seven Muslim-majority countries while in office. During his 2024 campaign, Trump has vowed to carry out the 鈥渓argest domestic deportation operation in American history鈥� to combat what he claims is an 鈥渋nvasion of our country.鈥�
