As the U.S. faces a shutdown showdown over Department of Homeland Security funding and Congress battles over the SAVE America Act, President Donald Trump took aim at Democrats, vowing Republicans will stand firm on border security and election integrity.
Trump made the remarks to reporters aboard Air Force One while returning to Washington on Monday.
He accused Democrats of attempting to leverage DHS funding negotiations to extract concessions he said would undermine law enforcement and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
"I don't like some of the things they're asking for," Trump said, referring to Democrat demands tied to DHS funding.
"We're going to protect law enforcement. We're going to protect ICE."
He added, "This is a Democrat shutdown, this has nothing to do with Republicans," he said. "They're upset that the crime numbers are so good."
The dispute is part of a broader clash over immigration enforcement.
Democrats are attaching new demands to DHS funding that would curb the administration's wider crackdown on illegal immigration.
The fight comes in the wake of last month's shooting deaths of two protesters in Minnesota, which have intensified debate in Washington over immigration policy.
Trump also used the address to champion the SAVE America Act, focusing heavily on voter ID requirements and proof of citizenship in federal elections.
"[Democrats are] very unhappy there's a movement to get voter ID," Trump told reporters. "The population, 98%, want voter ID."
He accused Democrats of opposing voter ID laws for political reasons.
"They don't want voter ID because they want to cheat at elections," Trump said.
Trump argued that proof of citizenship is a central component of the legislation and claimed Democrats are resisting it.
"One of the things they're insisting on is proof of citizenship.
"And the Democrat don't wanna give proof of citizenship. They don't wanna give voter ID," he continued.
The president went further, asserting that stricter election safeguards would fundamentally reshape the political landscape.
"They can never get elected if they ever change it.
"If you had voter ID, proof of citizenship, [Democrats] could never win an election.
"And they know that. They're fighting to the hilt," Trump said.
Republicans have long argued that voter ID and citizenship verification measures are necessary to secure elections and restore public confidence in the electoral process.
Democrats, meanwhile, have contended such measures risk disenfranchising eligible voters.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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