(WASHINGTON) — Former President Donald Trump — who has made harsh opposition to immigration a defining message of the GOP — last week pitched what would be one of the most significant expansions of U.S. immigration in decades.
Speaking on a podcast hosted by tech businessmen, Trump announced his support for giving a green card to every noncitizen graduate of a U.S. college (“staple a green card to every diploma,” said the former president).
Hours later, following outrage from some anti-immigration Republicans, he issued a clarification. A statement from a spokesperson given on Friday to ABC News said that the proposed program would involve an “aggressive vetting process,” and that “this would only apply to the most thoroughly vetted college graduates who would never undercut American wages or workers.”
Whether or not they become a major part of his messaging, Trump’s recent comments offer a glimpse of what appeared to be in contrast to how he talks about immigration on the campaign trail — for example, calling for the mass deportation of migrants in the country illegally.ahead of a hotly-contested presidential election where it will be a top issue — and a high-stakes first debate this Thursday.
ABC News spoke to conservative experts and immigration policy insiders to discuss how a potential shift in tone on immigration could play with voters.
“It runs against type, in many ways,” said Whit Ayres, a long-time Republican political strategist. “In some senses, it’s a ‘Nixon goes to China’ kind of phenomenon, where the guy who has been the most critical of immigration offers an opportunity for immigrants who are most likely to create jobs and grow our economy to stay in America.”
For key independent voters, Ayres believes, more vocal support for high-skill immigration could offer a needed complement to the fiery anti-immigrant rhetoric that Trump has long made his calling card.
“It could make swing voters and suburban voters take another look at the way he’s approaching the immigration issue,” Ayres said, “and make it seem more rational than emotional.”
Daniel Di Martino, an economist who studies immigration and a fellow at the conservative Manhattan Institute, also noted that the stance appeals to business leaders looking to hire high-skilled immigrants.
“The audience here is corporations and businesses — not voters, necessarily,” said Di Martino.
Trump announced the position on green cards during an appearance on a podcast hosted by several businessmen from the tech industry, which relies disproportionately on high-skilled worker visas. In recent weeks, Trump has made overtures to Silicon Valley, looking to draw support from a group that has tended to side with Democrats.
As several interviews with conservative immigration advocates and policymakers made clear, though, Trump’s position isn’t without its critics.
“My first-rip reaction was roll-backward shock,” said one senior official who served in the Department of Homeland Security during the Trump administration. “This is so outrageously unthought-through it’s amazing.”
If all foreign students were to receive a green card on graduation, the official objected, “you’re not buying an education — you’re buying citizenship.”
“It’s a terrible idea,” concurred Mark Krikorian, director of the Center for Immigration Studies and an avowed immigration restrictionist. “But it doesn’t surprise me coming from President Trump, because he’s never been a restrictionist.”
“He subscribes to the standard Republican mantra, ‘illegal good, legal bad,'” Krikorian added.
Another former Trump immigration official — former acting director of ICE Tom Homan — was more approving.
“If we’re going to immigrate, let’s immigrate some highly-skilled workers,” Homan said, noting that he believes Trump’s comments on the podcast referred back to proposals from early in his administration.
In 2017, the former president issued an executive order commissioning a review of the H1-B high-skill visa program and backed legislation that would have substantially reduced the number of green cards granted each year, saying that it would “prioritize immigrants based on the skills they bring to our Nation.”
Before his election as president, in 2015, Trump tweeted language similar to his comments on the podcast last week, writing that “When foreigners attend our great colleges & want to stay in the U.S., they should not be thrown out of our country.” But weeks before the 2020 election, the Trump administration would go on to modestly restrict the H1-B program.
Despite opposition from some conservatives, experts interviewed by ABC News agreed that Trump did not risk losing support from opponents of immigration among his base.
“What are those people going to do? Vote for Joe Biden?” asked Ayres. “They’re not going to vote for Donald Trump, because he wants to have high-skilled immigrants in the country? Really?”
“He has got so much credibility on these issues, he can actually take a position that seems slightly at variance with what he said in the past on immigration and get away with it,” Ayres added.
“Nobody’s going to stop voting for him because of what he said,” echoed Di Martino. “If anything, that can only earn him more votes.”
(NEW YORK) — The judge who oversaw Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial in Manhattan agreed to partially lift a gag order on the former president Tuesday, granting Trump the ability to speak freely about witnesses in the case and the jury that found him guilty on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
“Circumstances have now changed,” Judge Juan Merchan wrote Tuesday. “The trial portion of these proceedings ended when the verdict was rendered, and the jury discharged.”
Trump last month was found guilty on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to a 2016 hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in order to boost his electoral prospects in the 2016 presidential election.
During the trial, Trump and his attorneys repeatedly bemoaned a stipulation in the judge’s limited gag order that prevented him from publicly responding to commentary about the case from witnesses in the proceedings, most notably Daniels and Trump’s former attorney, Michael Cohen.
Merchan restricted what Trump could say publicly about them and others involved in the case out of concern for the integrity of the trial.
The judge’s ruling Tuesday left in place the portion of the gag order protecting members of the court staff, District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s staff, and their families.
“Until sentence is imposed, all individuals covered by Paragraph (b)” — referring to members of the court staff, the district attorney’s staff and their families — “must continue to perform their lawful duties free from threats, intimidation, harassment, and harm,” Merchan wrote in the ruling.
And although he struck the portion of the gag order pertaining to jurors, Merchan wrote that it would be his “strong preference” to extend those protections because there remains “ample evidence to justify continued concern for the jurors.”
An earlier prohibition on releasing personal information about jurors will remain in effect.
Trump is scheduled to be sentenced in the case on July 11.
With its annual Prime Day approaching, Amazon has tapped Megan Thee Stallion to help promote the two-day event. On Tuesday, the rapper released a song titled “It’s Prime Day.”
“I’m Tina Snow, and I shop all the time/ I can be who I want thanks to Amazon Prime/ With the shorts that make the booty sit like mine/ Once you log in, there ain’t nothin’ hard to find,” Meg rapped on the track, which will be featured on Amazon Music’s exclusive version of Meg’s album. “They got lashes, jewelry, clothes, candles/ Imma login and blow a bag on my animals/ 4oe got a shirt, Oneita got a purse/ How ’bout squeaky toys? Let’s see who catch it first.”
In the clip, Meg’s seen ordering different items, each of which were used to tap into another character. She dresses as a chef, cosplayer, stylist, lifeguard and more before the video wraps up.
Prime Day takes place July 16 and July 17; the sales are only accessible to Prime members who pay a monthly or annual fee.
André 3000 is taking his debut solo album on the road. He’s announced a tour in support of the instrumental album, New Blue Sun, described as “a celebratory piece of work in the form of a living, breathing, improvised, aural organism.”
With help from supporting acts Carlos Niño, Nate Mercereau and Surya Botofasina with Deantoni Parks, he’ll kick off his 26-city trek in New Orleans on Sept. 19. LA’s Greek Theater, D.C.’s John F. Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts and Atlanta’s Fox Theatre are among the venues where he’ll take the stage.
New Blue Sun, on which Three Stacks plays the flute, was released in November 2023. The upcoming tour marks his second supporting trek, as he played a “run of intimate live shows” following the album’s release.
Sexyy Red wants you to vote for her at the polls, so she’s headed on tour to start her campaign. She shared the dates and locations for her Sexyy Red 4 President! trek Tuesday, revealing the details for 23 of the 26 scheduled shows.
According to the post, the tour will kick off on Aug. 22 in Seattle and make stops in Oakland, Brooklyn, Philadelphia and other cities before wrapping up on Oct. 5. The locations for the Aug. 31, Sept. 23 and Oct. 5 dates have been blurred.
“it’s the Mf Hood Hottest princess Sexyy MF Red!!! And I’m kicking off my campaign tour ‘Sexyy Red 4 President! WE POPPING OUT AND TURNING TF UP!” Sexyy wrote on Instagram. “Tickets on sale this Friday at 1 local! Link in bio!”
Hunxho, Loe Shimmy and Blakeiana will serve as guests.
(WASHINGTON) — The House Judiciary Committee plans to take the first step toward holding President Joe Biden’s ghostwriter, Mark Zwonitzer, in contempt of Congress, two sources familiar with the committee’s plans tell ABC News.
The committee plans to hold a “markup” on the contempt resolution on Thursday, which would be followed by a committee vote, the sources said. The move would pave the way for a floor vote in the House to hold Zwonitzer in contempt.
The news of the committee’s plans was first reported by ABC News.
In March, Republican House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan subpoenaed Zwonitzer after he failed to turn over documents, including transcripts, audio and video recordings of his interviews with Biden for the president’s two memoirs, “Promises to Keep” and “Promise Me, Dad.”
In a copy of the resolution obtained by ABC News, Republicans point repeatedly to special counsel Robert Hur’s investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents.
Hur’s report stated that Biden relied “extensively on the notebooks’ notes he took during his vice presidency” in the writing of “Promise Me, Dad” and referred to the notebooks during interviews with Zwonitzer.
“Mr. Biden told Zwonitzer that some of the information in the notebook may be classified. Some of these entries remain classified up to the Top Secret level,” Hur stated in his report.
The report suggested that Biden was not consistent in how he handled classified information, stating he appeared to have sometimes “stopped at or skipped over the potentially classified material” while also stating that at other times, Biden “read his notes from classified meetings to Zwonitzer nearly word for word.”
According to Hur’s report, Zwonitzer deleted recordings of interviews he conducted with Biden after he learned of the special counsel’s investigation but voluntarily turned over his notes and devices. Hur decided not to pursue charges against Biden or Zwonitzer.
House Republicans insist Zwonitzer’s failure to fully comply with the House Judiciary Committee has “hindered” their own investigation.
“Zwonitzer continues to withhold all documents and materials in his possession that are responsive to the subpoena from the Committee,” the resolution states. “The materials requested from Zwonitzer are crucial for the Committee’s understanding of the manner and extent of President Biden’s mishandling and unlawful disclosure of classified materials, as well as Zwonitzer’s use, storage and deletion of classified materials on his computer.”
ABC News has reached out to Zwonitzer’s attorney for comment.
The move comes after the House of Representatives voted to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt for refusing to turn over the audio of Biden’s interview with Hur to the House Oversight and Judiciary committees. The DOJ later said it has declined to prosecute Garland for contempt, according to a letter obtained by ABC News.
House Speaker Mike Johnson called the vote to hold Garland in contempt “a significant step in maintaining the integrity of our oversight processes and responsibilities.”
