Former President Donald Trump pledged Monday to reinstate the ban on migrants entering the US “from terror-plagued countries” if he is re-elected to the White House.
“If you’re coming from somewhere full of people who want to kill Americans, we will not let you in,” Trump said during a speech in Clive, Iowa.
“We aren’t bringing in anyone from Gaza or Syria or Somalia, Yemen, or Libya, or anywhere else that threatens our security,” he vowed.
His plan also calls for “strong ideological screening of all immigrants” and aggressive deportations of illegal immigrations with “jihadist sympathies.”
“Jewish mothers and fathers should never have to send their children to school here and fear they’ll be shot or stabbed on a so-called day of jihad,” Trump declared.
A former Hamas chief last week declared Oct. 13 a day of global jihad.
To accentuate his point, Trump read “The Snake,” a story about a woman who took in a snake only to get bitten.
The 77-year-old former president’s pitch comes after Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) promised not to accept immigrants from the Gaza Strip.
“We cannot accept people from Gaza into this country as refugees. I am not going to do that,” DeSantis said in Creston, Iowa over the weekend.
“If you look at how they behave — not all of them are Hamas, but they are all anti-Semitic, none of them believe in Israel’s right to exist. None of the Arab states are willing to take any of them.”
The war in Israel erupted after Hamas’ surprise Oct. 7 attack on Israel and has lead to over 4,000 deaths on both sides, including 30 Americans with at least 13 missing, according to officials.
Back in the 2016 election cycle, Trump drew intense flack when he called for a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on.”
His pitch at the time came in the wake of a deadly mass shooting in San Bernardino, Calif. After he was elected to the White House, his administration instituted a ban on travel from various terror hotspots like Iran, Somalia, Syria, and more.
On Monday, Trump further contended that the US should scrap aid to the Palestinians altogether.
“When I’m back in the Oval Office, we will cut off every penny of money we send to the Palestinians and the terrorists on day one,” he vowed.
He starkly warned about the “depraved savages rampaging through civilian communities” in Israel and underscored that he wouldn’t allow that to happen in the US.
“The atrocities in Israel are horrific reminder that immigration security is truly national security,” he stressed.
Trump’s swing through the Hawkeye State came after US District Judge Tanya Chutkan handed down a partial gag order earlier Monday, restricting him from making disparaging statements about prosecutors, court staff or their families — or discussing possible witnesses or testimony.
The ex president called the gag order “unconstitutional,” adding, “a judge gave a gag order — a judge doesn’t like me too much. Her whole life is not liking me.
“This is weaponry all being done [sic] because Joe Biden is losing the election and losing very badly to all of us.”
Chutkan sided with the prosecutors in the four-count 2020 election interference case against Trump, who cited his past attacks on Special Counsel Jack Smith and others.
The tough-talking former commander in chief is facing a total of four criminal indictments of 91 counts and has vehemently denied wrongdoing across the board. He has pleaded not guilty in all cases.
Trump latched onto those cases — including the two about his alleged efforts to thwart the 2020 election — in a bid to cast himself as a martyr for democracy.
“But what they don’t understand is that I am willing to go to jail if that’s what it takes for this country to win and become a democracy again,” he declared.
“I’ve been indicted more than Al Capone. I have a trial scheduled for the day before Super Tuesday. It’s not going to matter because the people of the country get it. Al Capone was indicted only once, I got indicted 4 times,” he bemoaned at one point.
Earlier in the day at a stop in Adel, Iowa, Trump’s campaign unveiled an endorsement from Hawkeye State Attorney General Brenna Bird.
“President Trump has been a fighter for Iowa since day one and has DELIVERED on his promises. It’s time to fire Joe Biden & Make America Great Again!” Bird said.
Both of Trump’s appearances featured many of his go-to one-liners such as a joke about the cocaine found in the White House during the Biden administration as well as President Biden’s beach outings.
“What ever happened to the cocaine they found at the White House?” Trump asked at one point. “I think I know whose it is.”
He also vowed to end the war in Ukraine before even getting sworn in and prevent World War III.
