Sarah Sanders from today's press briefing when asked about the President calling "some immigrants" animals;
“This is one of the most vicious and deadly gangs that operates by the motto of rape, control and kill,” Sanders continued. "MS-13 has done heinous acts. It took an animal to stab a man 100 times and decapitate him and rip his heart out. It took an animal to beat a woman they were sex trafficking with a bat, 28 times, indenting part of her body. And it took an animal to kidnap and rape a 14-year-old Houston girl. Frankly, I don’t think the term that the president used was strong enough."
Sanders added, “The president should continue to use platform and everything he can do under the law to stop these kinds of horrible, horrible, disgusting people.”
Speaking about MS-13. This is a prime example where the dishonest media took these comments out of context. If you people cannot see that you are fools. People you are being spoon fed this garbage to control your thoughts and belief systems. Very easy to verify...watch the video of the comments yourself.
4
The Trump modus operandi - blaming the Democrats, blaming the people charged with governing cities and the state of California, implying that hoards of deviants and criminals of all sorts are flooding the borders, ramping up another issue designed to appease his base - the Trump brand on display once again. The only problem is... most of what he says, to use his oft used phrase, is "fake news." Sad and perplexing that so many continue to buy the product without reading the warning labels.
3
The women and children risking their lives to travel to the USA are trying to escape from MS-13. Their lives are in mortal danger. They are NOT gang members. It's our responsibility to help, not kill them by sending them back
7
Every time a major paper takes Mr. Trump's often hyperbolic language out of context, it validates his claims that they are propagandists distributing "fake news."
His supporters see the media doing this. Even the least sophisticated among them can see that it is a dishonest smear, and they end up viewing Trump as an underdog, not as a bully.
13
Attitudes are only hardening towards refugees and immigrants across the world.
In today's world, being a refugee or an immigrant (unless you have a lot of money) is like being from "a leper colony". I know this first hand because I work/volunteer closely with refugees.
Razor wire fences are erected in Europe and wall was put up by Israel to prevent refugees from getting through. Labels describing refugees as swarms, infiltrators, criminals, vermin, terrorists and threats to security, welfare fleecing parasites is more like the norm in our world. Trump is merely joining the extreme right wing crowd in Europe and elsewhere in this regard. Really nothing that one cannot expect from someone like Trump.
Today's refugees are typically not white unlike those from the late 1940s or the 1950s. Therefore not welcome, no matter how justified their cases. That is the honest trend!
8
Its is not noble to allow a two tier society to develop as here in California. Most of the time when an illegal border crossing occurs thousands of dollers end up in smuggling cartel pockets...and smuggling gang tentacles reach deep into the US to the detriment of all.
No who pays these gangs to cross should ever be allowed in ever.
10
I am a liberal, but I have to agree with the fault finding that your headline (as a LOT of your journalism lately) is very biased by taking the "animals" comment out of context, making it a headline, and then having everyone pile on. He was referring to MS-13 and other violent criminals, and Sarah Sanders retort was right on. Like Nancy Pelosi I agree in the divinity of each being, even the misguided MS13 gang members. But their conduct and behavior is depraved, inhumane, and evil, so I can understand the term "animals." You at the Times are spinning things way too much, and shaping narratives, and causing knee jerk liberals to immediately assume the worst. This is NOT good journalism, and you need to create a new Public Editor section to address the ongoing editorializing and Trump bashing as unbiased, quality journalism. It is NOT. And I deeply dislike much about Trump. But that's not the point. ONE WORD: objectivity without opinion (and not acting as PR for one side). Thank you!
22
It bothers me that a man of such little intelligence is the leader of our nation... He has not the slightest grip on reality, he acts like a petulant child in front of the world, making himself and our country look as if we are all spoiled children.
4
It's interesting how consistently Trump projects essences of himself onto others. Consider, for example, his frequent use of the word "disgrace." The truth of his life would be, accordingly, a lie ... which most everyone realizes by now. No wonder he rants; indeed, at some level he knows about himself but cannot stand it.
2
The real "animal" here is Mr. Trump, whose derogatory remarks are unworthy of the Office of the Presidency. He can rant all he wishes, but it won't make his comments true.
I am hopeful that the midterms will bring new, non-Trump-tainted blood to Congress and state houses. Moderation and common sense are much needed.
4
The “animals” Trump spoke of are every bit as Homo Sapien as we are and that has been proven genetically. Skin color is NOT and never has been more than than an incidental adjunct-based on climate.
What Trump’s “animals” actually lack is adequate food, decent education, language skills and jobs—something America hasn’t bothered to provide them.
2
No, they're not animals - they are human beings.
In fact, it's doubtful that any one of them could be called a criminal on the Trump scale: sexual assault, defrauding students and families of their life savings, defrauding and destroying businesses of contractors, cheating thousands of businesses by declaring bankruptcy 6 times. And that's all before the presidency - when we add colluding to subvert democracy, propping up dictators, violating the emoluments clause, promoting weapons of mass murder, condoning man-made, and poisoning our environment.
I'm sure there are some bad guys trying to come across the border, but it would be hard for any of them to top, or rather, be beneath, Trump.
7
It may be just me, but I'm totally fine with calling MS-13 gang members "animals." It's also important to note the lack of context given to President Trump's statement here. He was specifically responding to a concern raised about an inability of sheriffs to call ICE on MS-13 gang members who were arrested. One of the worst examples of biased journalism I've seen. You are why the American people don't trust the media. You are why Donald Trump was elected in the first place. You are why he will be elected again.
14
(1) Trump call illegal immigrants mean names. (2) Democrats, predictably, with all the righteous indignation they can muster, condemn Trump and lecture the country on American values and the virtues of illegal immigrants. Democrats now are defending illegal immigration. Works every time. That's why Trump won.
16
Anyone reading the full transcrpit of Trump's remarks can readily see that he was talking about MS 13, which is indeed one of the most ruthless gangs ever experienced in this country. Their tactics, including not only wanton murder but systematic totrture, dismemberment and even beheading are so barbaric, that calling them "animals" insults animals. Many readers apparently did not bother to read the full transcrpit before commenting here.
This paper and the reporter certainly knew what the president was saying. Yet, the headline chosen was disengenuous and designed to be inflamatory. What the president said, tragically, is true.
12
As much as I dislike Trump, I'd have no issues calling MS-13 gang members animals, which is probably what he had in mind (notwithstanding the fact that gang members are merely a tiny fraction of immigrants).
His supporters understand that distinction and he instinctively leverages this gap between his provoking rants and the predictable liberal backlash.
I see how tempting it is to insinuate he subsumed all immmigrants under this term, but it only helps his base with blaming liberals as hysterical and out of touch. If liberals don't stop acting merely on reflexes, he might win a second term.
27
"President" spouts racist comments and this Country's Soul Dies a little bit more. He spawns racists as NY lawyer (untethered over harmless Spanish Counter Talk) unrelentlessly. Exponential heinous acts until he is removed from office.
2
NO! You do not have to break up families. That is a crime against humanity, and it is something that Nazis did. This cannot be blamed on Democrats,.
The president once again sounds like the dictionary definition of a white supremacist when he calls immigrants "animals", refers to "breeding" in sanctuary cities, describes Mexican immigrants as "rapists", and praises violent white supremacists after innocent people were killed in Charlottesville. His past history is filled with similar incidents such as his vitriolic attacks on the Central Park 5, who it turned out were innocent but Trump called for their execution even before a trial.
At that time in 1989, Trump said, "Maybe hate is what we need."
Every Republican who has the slightest connection with the true Party of Lincoln should be condemning comments like this, should be supporting a DACA vote to protect the innocent young people who have no culpability for any crime committed by their parents when they were small children, and should be strongly condemning the cruelty of separating children from their families.
Shame on Trump and on the entire Republican Party. This is a legacy the KKK would be proud of.
6
"NO! You do not have to break up families."
Citizens who commit crimes are taken from their families and put in prison. If there is no relative to care for their children, the children are placed in foster homes or institutions. Why should it be different with foreigners?
Once President Obama instituted DACA, giving protection to people who came here before turning age 16, and he tried to institute DAPA, which would have provided protection from deportation for their parents, the number of families coming here from Central America shot way up. Violence had not suddenly increased in those countries. The motivating factor was the President's executive orders. Central Americans thought they would be allowed to stay here if they came with children.
The continuing flood of Central Americans who are asking for asylum has overwhelmed our system. If we do not hold them until the courts can hear their cases, most of them do not show up at court. They do not have valid cases for asylum. They are economic migrants.
They compete with our own citizens for jobs and government services. We cannot afford to take in every uneducated and unskilled person who wants to come here. We need to focus our resources on educating and, when necessary, retraining our own citizens.
2
Your rant does not change the fact that he's talking about gang members or that uninvited invaders can hardly whine about being told to go home.
What about the animal who turned the White House into a pig sty?
5
He left more than 17 years ago.
1
Are you getting tired of reading about and commenting on this animal? Me, too.
5
Shame on the NYT! As an animal lover I’m deeply offended! This statement about animalistic killers and criminal gangs coming across our borders could have been clarified by the WH if ethical journalistic standards were applied here.
6
Julie whatever her name is that did this story owes an APOLOGY to the people, and to Trump. You totally forgot words that took his comment to a hate-filled report and forgot the FACTS.
You report FAKE news all the time. You are not good enough to be called a "journalist" let alone a "reporter." You destroy the good name of the Jounalists and reporters who report the TRUTH. I'm surprised, but maybe not, that the NY Times is allowing such crap to be printed.
FYI, I watched the his comments LIVE and I understood exactly what he was referring to when he called MS-13 animals. Will you people feel differently about MS-13 gangs if someone in your family would be beaten to death with a baseball bat, beheaded, or gang raped, or whatever heinous crimes they do? Oh, but that would be different, Right?
FACTS, please. Not conjecture, half-truths, or out-and-out LIES.
9
Be real. Far too many illegal aliens commit serious crimes, including murder, rape, vehicular manslaughter, etc. To call them animals isn’t nearly strong enough.
10
The very model of sycophants.
2
Animals? Has anyone seen some of Trump's sycophants at his rallies beating people up and making vile racist comments? I have.
4
Melani on deck: immigrants aren’t animals either so who is Trump talking about. Like us immigrants are Homo Sapiens and come in every color. My parents were immigrants so are Trumps and yours. We made this country and what with the birth rate dropping, bring on some fresh Homo blood!
1
Whether they are fang members, illegal immigrants, etc. - they are not animals. We live in a civilized society. The animals are the President, his family and all those complicit in his animal behavior.
3
There is nothing to excuse this. All the signs of history repeating itself are here. Loud and clear.
Dehumanization is how this country was founded. The relocation of entire groups of people. Genocide.
Trump revives the worst of our story.
Manifest Destiny...Make America Great Again.
To hear him call people animals just after the massacre of Palestinians...And to watch most people I know just shrug it off. Quiet.
Trump is a hateful colonizer and dictator, lost in his privilege without an ounce of empathy. Apathetic white Americans are his foundation. It’s all happening.
1
If the shoe fits..... so liberals are in favor of welcoming illegal vicious gang members? Even a majority of illegal aliens would buy that this ban is in their best interest. this is what they're trying to get away from nobody needs criminal diversity.
7
No, not all "liberals" are in favor of open borders. In fact, a very large percentage are not - something the DNC ignores at their peril.
3
Thanks for yet again proving the naked anti-Trump bias at the NYT. Some unauthorized immigrants?? What you should have said is that President Trump labeled members of MS13 as animals and in that he was exactly correct. I suppose the NYT views MS13 as a secular version of a church youth group.
9
President Trump was specifically referring to MS-13 in his remarks.
CNN and AP both accurately reported this. Shame on the Times for 'spinning' this. You are only - once again - giving credence to the 'fake news' meme.
And MS-13 are indeed animals. Maybe some Times reporters can head out to Long Island or come to northern VA and do some actual reporting.
9
Can someone, anyone provide proof to me that ICE has indeed made a point about going after MS13? I only hear about some immigrants being deported for shoplifting charges decades ago and grade school children being stalked and detained. Here is the fact: ICE are cowards. They know where MS13 members are but are afraid to engage with them as that would mean machine gun style danger and possible ICE lives lost. Instead they go after easy targets like shoplifters or traffic violators in order to make their gestapo like organization seem like they are doing good for the US.
1
Do your research people!!!! This is yet another news organization taking something out of context. He was specifically referring to MS13 Gang Members - not immigrants. It's unconscionable how the media twists things to go along with their agenda. More surprising that you people don't actually look into it rather than believing headlines.
9
How about the people who have violated their vistor's visa and stayed on illegally? Can we get a count on how many of them are "white" and have them deported as well? Oh wait, this applies only to people of color!
1
This is why people are losing faith in media. Pres. Trump did not say that "some unauthorized immigrants are animals" as both the headline and text of this article implies. Instead, he clearly called MS-13 gang members animals. You might disagree and think that MS-13 members deserve more respect (most of their victims would agree with Trump), but taking the quote so grossly out of context is just bad journalism.
What's next? If President Trump condemns ISIS, will the NYTimes lead with a headline that Trump condemns "some Muslims"? If President Trump says that Boko Haram is a ruthless terrorism organization, will the NYTimes lead with a headline saying that Trump calls "some blacks" ruthless terrorists?
9
What a despicable rant by a president. His remarks about immigrants are an insult to us all. When will this country wake up from this nightmare of Trump presidency?
1
You people will believe anything as long as it tows the narrative that Trump is a racist. Trump was referring to MS-13 gang members and my El Salvadorian wife and I agree, they are animals. If you knew anything about these "people" you'd agree as well.
8
He was clearly referring to MS-13. When do you plan to correct this article?
9
Yes, teenage gang members both men and women who execute a rival gang member with torture, multiple stabbings, with a large group of onlookers who video the event and taunt and laugh at the victim are animals. Slanted headlines, intended to smear President Trump and fool the gullible that he says that about all immigrants are the kind of shameful reporting we get from the NYT.
12
More often, however, they slant in ways you like. That remark about John McCain? NYT called that a "joke." Ha ha ha! I'll bet you're still laughing over that one!
New meeting agenda for Trump:
1. Stop antagonizing California over illegal immigration.
2. Learn something.
3. Try again (at life).
1
Sorry, but we don’t have a moral obligation to let millions of destitute third world peasants immigrate here at our expense solely to be “noble.” We no longer need millions of uneducated, unskilled people and it’s time for our immigration policy to reflect that. Most Americans are tired of feeling like strangers in their own land.
13
Oh great, another euphemism: "unauthorized". if you come here against the law, you are here illegally. That doesn't make you evil or an "animal", but you are by definition an "illegal immigrant".
As someone dealing with the (long, painful, and tedious) official immigration process at the moment, there is quite a difference between legal, and illegal, immigration. it is a disrespect to those who follow the law to cloud illegality with euphemisms.
18
Half of Vermont can trace its roots back to "illegals," eh. Except we don't dare call them that. Care to guess why?
2
This Times article doesn't place the President's comments in context:
Trump was asked about the brutal gang by Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims when addressing California sanctuary city laws. Mims specifically said, “There could be an MS-13 gang member I know about, if they don’t reach a certain threshold, I cannot tell ICE about them.”
The president responded, “You wouldn’t believe how bad these people are. These aren’t people, these are animals, and we’re taking them out of the country at a level and at a rate that’s never happened before.”
16
Liberals, and liberal-leaning journalists, shoot themselves in the foot sometimes, as with this self-righteous condemnation of calling some people "animals". Trump was talking about the "bad people" that cross the border. Calling people who are viciously violent "animals" is something that almost every living adult has done. Getting indignant about it only fuels Trump's base. They're probably talking about it on Fox News right now. There's plenty of thing to be indignant about with Trump, but this is one of them.
13
He's incorrect about most of the refugees, but I don't see how his language was "racially fraught." He was referring to ruthless MS-13 gang members, and yes, animals is an apt description. And he's right to call them that. The problem is most of the refugees are ordinary, honest, hard-working families, fleeing those same animals who terrorize Central America. He's right to condemn drug gangs, but if he truly cares about ending gang violence, he can't simply turn away its victims.
9
Dehumanizing humans is a first step toward atrocities. History has shown us that.
6
Usually, you'd steer clear of bar-room drunkards ranting on like this. But how do you avoid the president?
7
No, gang members are not animals, they are human. Only humans are capable of stupidity and violence , including trump who walks around creating chaos and suffering the world over, and could care less. So how exactly is he different from a gang member? Animals are far superior to humans, that much is clear.
6
Humans are animals. Your logic is at an impasse.
It's still so hard for people to accept that we are indeed animals. Don't freak out about this so-called insult, laugh at him for using a simple fact as an insult. I thought the New York Times was against supremacy and discrimination but here they show that they are human supremacists and speciesists since they think that humans aren't animals and consider the term animal insulting for a human being from which I can only conclude that they consider other animals species so inferior that they don't even want to be related to them even if the facts say otherwise. If you want to lecture others about discrimination then be an example and don't discriminate yourself.
4
Well, of course, some are so debased that they could be called animals. But that is (obviously) true of homegrown Americans as well. This is an attempt to lead the animalistic Americans to follow him into the animalistic violent paranoia that he epitomizes.
1
“You talk about obstruction of justice,” ...“I would recommend that you look into obstruction of justice for the mayor of Oakland.”... “Perhaps the Department of Justice can look into that.”
Wow. Just wow. This sounds like something Putin would say. I hope I'm not the only one who sees this as clear evidence of Trump's proclivity towards authoritarian rule. His evident desire to be an autocrat, or a king, and imprison his political opponents goes against every element of the United States Constitution.
Let's watch how many Republican members of Congress - that other, "co-equal" branch of government, charged with being a 'check and balance' against executive abuses - let's see how many Congressional Republicans protest this appalling dangerous statement. Paul Ryan? Mitch McConnell? Waiting to hear from you...
5
this is the start of crime. each dictatorship started with this word.
2
Where is the GOP in all these rants by a deranged President? The level of xenophobia is unprecedented in recent US history. If American voters do not vote the GOP in November they are committing a crime against democracy. Why aren't the Democrats attacking Trump like the GOP attacked Obama. Why haven't the Democrats kept up a daily request for Trump to release his tax returns. What is he hiding? We need to know.
5
Yes Donald. you are right ... from the vantage point of surviving and utterly mistreated native Indians whose forefathers were slaughtered mercilessly by those who illegally invaded the US.
6
The man is unbelieveable. He has degraded the office of the presidency in formerly-inconceivable ways, far surpassing Nixon or any other president.
5
I am sooo proud of our Governor Jerry Brown and his responses!
MOST of law enforcement in Calif agrees with Brown and its a matter of community safety that we not disenfranchise our community members - especially when it comes to working with law enforcement - regardless of citizenship.
6
What I find rich is Jerry Brown's comment about being "the fifth largest economy in the world". He and other CA politicians always throw that into a statement when arguing against the administration's position on any matter. Is that some kind of "dog whistle" for we're our own country? If so, fine, then secede. Go it alone, see how that works out for you.
5
I dare anyone regardless of color to walk across the border into Mexico without government authorization and make demands for clothing, shelter, food, and a job with benefits. Let’s see how fast they get it! They will get most of these but unfortunately at the end of a gun and behind prison bars with their new best amigos.
11
Guess what? We are all animals. But humans are the only ones who are unkind. And this country is now being led by by the unkindest of us all. Or maybe he is not an animal; perhaps he is a virus.
4
If we are all animals, then you find nothing objectionable in his statement, no?
1
Humans are the only "unkind" animals? You are either crazy or misinformed.
Here you go:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170131104719.htm
1
The animal is Trump! He thinks people not rich like him aren’t human. Trump has never known regular people therefore and has no concept even of his own base support.
He is a bigoted mouth with money. His remark was ignorant and uninformed. Many of those “animals” he spoke of have better brains than he has— and he proves that each time he speaks.
5
Trump is hardly the first American president to dehumanize and demonize other human beings. Reagan, Clinton and both Bushes did. It is a tradition for leaders of the most powerful militarily nation on earth.
4
As the Statue of Liberty departs NY harbor it is getting more difficult to read the words inscribed upon it. "Give me your tired your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breath free........"
"Send these the homeless, tempest tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden shore."
4
Being unread in history, Donald Trump is unaware that he, his family, and his supporters are going to be named as exactly what they are once the history is written. This is a profoundly dark period in American history. Donald Trump's presidential legacy will be one ignorance, corruption, incompetence and disaster. The Trump name is already destroyed, and rightfully so.
5
Go and either watch the video or read the transcript, In Trump's "animal" answer he mentions only immigrants, he fails to specify any gang affiliation. This is basic to spoken and written English, the last specification of a noun is the reference. If Trump intended to only refer to gang members he clearly had the opportunity and obligation as a speaker to specify to whom the remarks included. If you believe the context of the answer was specific to gang members this might reveal your own bias or that you require remedial English lessons as badly as Trump.
3
He was talking about MS13 members so please don't conflate those despicable beings with illegal aliens in general. While calling them animals probably isn't helpful he is close to the mark with MS 13. The fact is the vast majority are good people however what they are doing is illegal. How is it fair to turn a blind eye to them while many people wait years to immigrate. There is a problem and if were any other President he would be lauded for trying to solve it. However he is Trump and must be resisted regardless of consequences.
3
I'm sickened as I read about Trump's latest hate-filled rant about the desperate and poor men, women and children trying to escape poverty and violence in Central America and other countries. Not to mention that our country has helped create some poverty and violence in these countries through our deeds in the eighties. Trump has never traveled or experienced other cultures so he is a complete ignoramus, know-nothing about the world and its people. Furthermore, he completely lacks compassion and has no moral compass. This make it easy for him to separate children from their mothers and think of these people as non-humans with no feelings. I will not dignify Trump by calling him an animal because animals care for their young and have more feelings than he does. Trump is simply a monster. Its sickening to see this heap of human dysfunction in our precious Oval Office.
3
Uh HELLO he was responding to a question specifically about Illegal Immigrant MS-13 gang members, and his language wasn't strong enough in my opinion. You want to defend a group that literally states it's for murder, rape and extortion and commits those acts feel free.
10
Sorry American Friends but you should be ashamed that you country is run by a racist autocrat who values your constitution zero. “All men are created equal??”.
Ashamed, angry and afraid that this does not create an outcry by all decent people no matter their beliefs and political views.
3
So what? All humans, technically, are animals.
1
The president blatantly lied and the NYT reports the lie without naming it as false. Is it too much trouble to call him out on it? Readers of this piece could come away with the notion that what he said is true.
The president blamed a "Democrat Law" for the separating of children and babies from their parents at the border. He said it multiple times, that this hard and terrible job was thrust upon border officials by the Democrats.
I believe the current law was passed in 2008 in response to human trafficking of UNACCOMPANIED children and was signed into law by George Bush after passing unanimously through both houses of Congress.
4
Like the “Yanny” versus “Laurel” debate, when the swamp creature speaks and calls immigrants “Animals”, I imagine pandas, cute puppies and majestic elephants. The creature’s base imagines MS13, fearsome sharks and elephants to be slaughtered.
As he continues to insult immigrants, how many in his base have immigrant parents or grand-parents he is insulting too?
4
My gardener is not an animal.
2
If these criminal killer gangs are NOT animals then why is the Mexican government so resistant to their release back into their natural habitat?
5
Not unlike Goebbels and the Nazis vilifying Jews as vermin. And we know where that story went.
14
Except in Germany the Jews were trying to get out of their hellish country, and the Nazis wouldn't let them. These are people trying to get into our country, because the opportunities are so good. Pretty different. Somehow I don't think a genocide of Central Americans is imminent.
6
MS13 not animals? Are you naive?
26
Humans are not animals. Are you sane?
1
The problem isn't any better on the left either. Illegals aren't "unauthorized" or "undocumented." They aren't even immigrants. Invaders would be a more apt description.
17
What do you mean they aren't "unauthorized" or "undocumented"? Of course they are. You're saying they're authorized and have documents? They don't.
1
All you liberals ranting should take some time out to discuss what he actually said. He was talking about gang members. You're not entitled to break our immigration laws and then engage in gang activity. No country permits that. Why should we?
22
Like millions of others, my grandparents walked through Ellis Island with no more real scrutiny than most undocumented aliens, and they were not animals. They did a lot more for this country than those bleating nativists, who are a far more destructive element than the undocumented *in toto.*
31
I was just at Ellis Island. You are wrong. Immigrants through Ellis Island were tested for mental ability. They were examined for general health. If they were found to be physically or mentally undesirable or for any reason unlikely to be able to support themselves, they were turned back over to the steamship company and they were obligated to return them to their home country at no cost. Ellis Island performed a real screening function.
12
Are we becoming a Nation of haters ?
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) recently removed the phrase"nation of immigrants" from its mission statement. Hundreds of children have been taken from their parents' arms at the U.S. border since last October.
1
Ellis Island performed those services at New York; not all immigrants arrived through NYC. And not all immigrants received equal services at their points of entry. In those days, epidemic diseases were stringently looked for as it was just assumed that everyone, aside from the blind and obviously physically broken, would work at anything. TB, eye diseases, venereal diseases, were looked for.
Physical disease not social inappropriateness—or vice— was society’s preoccupation. Too bad too; if vice had been uppermost on the minds of immigration officers, a certain draft dodger from Bavaria, who (it is said) went to Alaska and made enough money from bawdy houses and the women who worked in them, to return to New York and set up a small suburban real estate office in Queens. Some immigrants come alone with only their twisted ideas and questionable attitudes, ideas which only become painfully obvious two generations later.
1
Ipse dixit: “You wouldn’t believe how bad these people are. These aren’t people, these are animals..."
In the name of all that is holy, can we not somehow firmly remember that genocides *finish* with extermination camps, they do not *start* there.
Genocides start with lies, forced isolation, and then progress to vile rhetoric such as Trump's. Burma's military calls the Rohingya 'cockroaches' as they rape and burn them.
We are well along the path past lies and dehumanization, and the time to interrupt it is now. History will judge us harshly, and many now living will regret their silence.
39
You really think a genocide of Mexicans is imminent? Do you have any more evidence than a single word Trump uttered about gangs?
5
So y'all are just going to completely ignore the fact that this quote was taken out of context and his comments were specifically about MS-13 members and not illegal immigrants as a whole?
No wonder no one takes the media seriously.
31
The point is that humans are not animals, and using the “animal” term is intended to dehumanize. Evil people are still people. Evil, unworthy, cruel, but people.
2
Most of the media is too broke to do real investigative reporting. And they've dug so deeply into the anti-Trump position that at this point they can't possibly admit he could be right about anything. So, unable to do the hard work to refute him, they're left with taking his quotes out of context and deliberately misinterpreting them. And calling him racist and stupid and making fun of his hair. And most of their readers lap it up, because it's what they want to hear, and basically nobody thinks critically anymore.
1
One remark many actions
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) recently removed the phrase"nation of immigrants" from its mission statement. Hundreds of children have been taken from their parents' arms at the U.S. border since last October.
Will we allow our motto to become a nation of haters...
After reading the article and a good many of the comments, it seems to me that the real problem is that Mr. Trump does not know how to speak English. His sentences are garbled miss-mash and it is seldom clear what he intends to say. The office he holds requires some minimal degree of precision with language. Clearly he lacks that ability.
25
Trump has lost it. Insane ratings of a 12 year old. I’m for comprehensive immigration reform, safe borders and LEGAL immigration, but please..enough“ with “disgraceful” and “we’re suing”. The US, the states, the cities, and the world community, are not Trump’s private family business or building competitors. The “great deal maker” is clearly out of his league and also out to lunch. Jerry Brown is actually correct. Most of what Trump says here is simply NOT accurate. Border crossings are DOWN. Fact check the rest. It’s a constant litany of lies, insults and leadership void from our President.
20
Trump was referring to M-13 gang members, not unauthorized immigrants in general. He was responding to a California sheriff who complained California’s sanctuary laws prevent him from reporting M-13 gang members in his custody to ICE.
28
If Trump is so worried about the gangs in this country, then arrest the gang members. Don't take a child away from his mother and send him thousands of miles away to some foster home. To date, there have been 700 children taken at the border and shipped somewhere. Trump said to send them to foster care or "wherever." Where is "wherever?" And from what I have heard, a lot of them can't be located.
I sat on the foster care review board in my area and trust me, foster parents aren't angels. A lot of them only do it for the money they get from the government.
18
He is slowly revising our history...
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) recently removed the phrase"nation of immigrants" from its mission statement. Hundreds of children have been taken from their parents' arms at the U.S. border since last October.
3
This is the Republican Party, the party of morals and family values, the party of Mike Pence, the party that remains complicit while Trump trashes America, calling people animals. That's rich.
12
This reminds me of the games he played on the campaign. Say something horrible, knowing some will say 'thats not what he meant', while firing up his base.
Saying the second amendment people could stop Hillary.
Saying Hillary and Obama founded Isis.
Thing is this doesn't even move the needle anymore. Trump is a racist and his enablers have no defense.
17
Come on! Trump was referring to MS-13 gang members and other serious criminals. Calling them "animals" is short, to the point, and accurate.
28
Trumpets ALWAYS twist facts to create an excuse.
He SAID "these people INCLUDING M-13 gang members."
To translate . M-13 are part of a larger group of non-gang members and Trump sees them ALL as animals.
I wish the video of Trump making the "animals" comment had been included in the article. You report that he made this statement in front of television cameras so why didn't you present the evidence? Failure to do this has allowed Trump supporters to whitewash and make light of his negative comments.
3
The video isn't included because it would disprove the NYT spin and clearly show that he was referring to MS-13. At least CNN and AP correctly reported this.
3
First, all humans are animals. Secondly, there is no such thing as an ilegal immigrant. By definition, an immigrant lives in a new place legally. People in a new place illegally are aliens...and ,like all of us, are animals.
8
The Federal government use municipal and state funds to house illegals, sometimes for months because there is no room in Federal detention centers, or Federal courts are backed up. Local tax payers pick up these costs. Only the Federal government can deport illegal aliens, but through actions they pass the burden on to others, Sanctuary cities release immigrants so they are not stuck with the bill by the Feds.
1
Considering that the great majority of crime in the border area of San Diego County is already being committed by American citizens against immigrants, legal and otherwise, it would seem reasonable that a good check on the Trump/Sessions zeal for turning law abiding, hard-working, locally crucial people into criminal fugitives or abettors would be the June 5 election of Democratic candidate for Sheriff, SDSD Commander Dave Myers. Myers has rebuked SD County Supervisor Kristin Gaspar for supporting the Feds' anti-"sanctuary" lawsuit, while current Sheriff Bill Gore has not, and his GOP and federal law enforcement roots do not bode well for the county. Or country.
6
The reporter describes President Trump as using "racially fraught terms about immigrants." Wouldn't it be more accurate to say "racist terms"? Why hide what the president is doing with a euphemism?
4
Because "racist terms" would be entirely inaccurate? (Which restraint does not usually present itself in the Times.)
2
The failure to put any of the comments the President made into context of the discussion around him makes your article look like fake news and the journalist appear bias against the President. This is precisely the way that people on the right frame your newspaper and sometimes with good reason. I am a daily reader of the Times and whether I support the President or not, I like to be able to believe what I read here rather than have to fact check everything.
23
Funny how the NYT has twisted this as a service or disservice to the readers! Yes, the gangs, killers, and drug pushers coming across our borders are animals of the lowest order.
27
But your ancestors who begat you, and whom owned slaves, raped them, and killed them were good people.
6
Sorry, was it your ancestors that were truly offended and not you? It is 2018 just for the record.
3
I find President Trump's remarks about undocumented immigrants extremely disturbing. In history, we have seen when people are dehumanized, it can lead to horrific ends like genocide. Undocumented immigrants are human -- some are good people coming here for economic and educational opportunity; others are criminals. None of them are animals.
89
He was referring specifically to MS-13 members, a group not to be thought of as the equivalent of a Boy Scout troop... Incidentally, the Times has now updated its Manual of Style and Useage. It is no longer cutting edge to refer to illegal aliens as “undocumented immigrants.” They are now called “unauthorized immigrants.”
7
I find your analysis of President Trump's speech worrisome...he did not say anything like what your comment says...he was only referring to MS 13 gang members who in case you are ignorant of have been a problem for 20 plus years now. Distortion of leaders words are as bad as it gets
3
Even criminals aren't animals.
This president has ZERO empathy towards other human beings, not even seeing them as such.
Just because the context was missing does not mean that Trumps rabid supporters won't take it as permission for them to view "illegals" as sub-human. It's dehumanizing any way you look at it.
8
No, it gives Trump's rabid opponents permission to lie.
4
Your concern for whether members of MS-13 are dehumanized is misplaced.
3
Of course, you know what he was referring to.
The Left are truly hysterical over this man.
2
Under the Trump diatribe about immigrants being animals, my browser showed an ad for laberdoodle puppies. Hard for most people to turn away if they were on your door step.
The "logical" conclusion to calling a group "animals" is to use all means to stop them. I guess that is why the administration has not said anything about Gaza … they are keeping their options open.
5
These anti-Sanctuary Cities politicians should be really proud that they were there to hear him personally call people crossing the border "animals" … I hope they are all voted out of office!
4
Here's hoping that Palm Springs is extremely successful in offering "sanctuary" to tens of thousands of illegal aliens, Reverend.
1
MS-13 is an international criminal gang that originated in Los Angeles, California, US in the 1980s. Source: Wikipedia
Yes, they are animals. Spawned right here in America.
Seems history teaches us nothing.
10
Trump’s ranting and raging about illegal immigrants is very disturbing. It provokes aggressive and abusive behavior against American citizens who choose to speak in the language of their country of birth. And MUCH worse it is a tragic reminder of Hitler’s ranting and raving against the Jewish citizens of Germany.Trump is acting like an out of control dictator.
7
Whether referring to MS-13 gang members or undocumented immigrants in general, Trump dehumanizes people directly and forcefully: "These aren't people. These are animals." (and therefore, worthy of ??? slaughter?? extermination??) Such language was common in 1938 Germany, but we should know better. In our country, we even treat criminals as human beings, don't we?
9
Aren't we all animals?
Human animals are
deadly, merciless killers.
With language, many of our
species spew hatred which
leads to war and more killing.
We face huge potential threats
when a human animal, full of hate,
becomes the leader of a
rich, powerful nation.
The vast majority of law-abiding Latino immigrants also despise MS-13 members. Hundreds of thousands "unauthorized immigrants" would not seek refuge in the United States if the MS-13 and other gangs had not destroyed their homeland.
You can do better, New York Times.
17
Echoing the Little Corporal with the funny mustache in 1930's Germany, our own President attempts to dehumanize a segment of our society, in a manner that he thinks will energize his nativist followers to perhaps carry out legally questionable orders? And yes like in 30's Germany, the greater shame would be for the general population (of our-here-to-fore freedom loving country) to not actively question the rashness of such obviously anti-democratic exhortations.
3
Ms. Davis, it seems to me that at a meeting such as this, where our president spews vulgarity and hatred, that the names of the attendees, and their responses would be informative to your readers. I do not like that our president has called these immigrants animals, and he is not the only one accountable. I would have walked out of the room after hearing that ignorant utterance.
4
This snippet from one of the comments here is quite telling.
"The people who hate our President scare me more then he ever will."
Well, there were plenty of birthers and racists (and worse) who hated the last president for less rational reasons. Now they are a scary group!
7
Perhaps the regressives, who label the NYT as fake news, should read the article again and note the following:
'...dangerous people were clamoring to breach the country’s borders and branding such people “animals.”'
"He exhorted his administration to “do much better” in keeping out undesirable people, including members of transnational gangs like MS-13."
The NYT did not ignore MS-13, nor did it miss the mention of dangerous people.
5
Just yesterday, an illegal Brazilian man was arrested by ICE on Cape Cod wanted for murder. He was hired and paid $950 to kill someone. Yes, I'd put him in that category and would like him promptly removed from our country (and my town).
12
Times fails to note the lies Trump told about
immigration.
he is one separating families not Dems
DUH
Wow, Doug Mills, this sounds more like a DNC fundraising letter. Trump was referring to MS-13 gang members (who rape, torture, dismember and burn their victims), not "unauthorized immigrants" - those are YOUR words and YOUR characterization. Why not just run for political office instead of pretending to be some kind of a journalist? NY Times doesn't even try to hide its political agenda anymore.
12
Most of us realize by now that Trump's dog whistling is working. He added gang members into his rant so people would defend him despite the fact that the gang members are a small percentage of the brown people he has been targeting his whole adult life. Sadly targeting and vilifying a certain group for the masses to turn on is a longstanding tactic of unethical leaders that actually works.
1
While President Trump may have been referring to MS -13 yesterday, make no mistake: His MS-13 words are translated to everyone to mean "all Mexicans." And he knows this. Those who say he doesn't should look up the phrase "plausible deniability."
Remember Mr. Trump called football player Colin Kaepernick a "son of a (expletive)" at a rally for Luther Strange in 2017. Did he say Mr. Kaepernick's name? No. Did his supporters know exactly who he was referring to when he talked about players kneeling during the national anthem? Yes.
President Trump has emboldened the formerly quiet racists;they see President Trump calling people "animals" and feel free to treat minorities as inferior. And this is occurring *everywhere*- including with white people of higher incomes/class/educations.
Two recent examples of this: The white woman who called the police on two black men setting up a BBQ grill in Oakland on April 29? Has a Ph.D from Stanford.
Woman Calls Police On Black Family For BBQing At A Lake In Oakland:"Police responded to the incident but did not issue any citations...though the family was detained and questioned for one hour."
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/woman-calls-police-oakland-barbecue...
The white man (Aaron Schlossberg) who on Tuesday threatened to call ICE on two customers speaking Spanish to each other at a NYC restaurant? Is a Manhattan attorney.
https://nypost.com/2018/05/17/racist-lawyer-runs-scared-from-cameras-out...
8
Erika, you started it reasonably well but ruined it when you decided to tell us what trump said when he did not say it. It is called lying, by the way
A handful of anecdotes (U.S. population 327,000,000+) though deeply troubling presenting distorted view of white racism.
1
Yes, he did mean MS-13 to mean all Mexicans, but MS-13 is Salvadorian, not Mexican.
Trump will go down in history books as the stupidest and most hateful president ever and we will go down in history books as the people who sat by and watched it happen.
4
As someone who lives in mexico, i can vouch for Mexico doing its part (although I am surprised mexico capitualtes at all wioth the tyrant in the White House) to detain illegal immigrants. I regualry pass by train tracks where illegals begged for money and hopped rides on the train. All that stopped shortly after Trump got into office, though considering how Trump has treated Mexico, I am amazed to hear that Nieto even talks to Trump, at all.
24
As I was recently reminded, anecdotal evidence is no evidence at all.
2
Which is more than any Trump supporter needs, so we can just take it as fact then.
The Great White Dope rants again.
2
Trump is a narcissistic, poorly educated man, that much is obvious. However, it is wrong for CA to keep it's sactuary cities and many in CA do not want them. The government in CA does not represent the people, just the urban area 'immigrants' (mostly illegal) and the progressives (ignoring the rural areas and cities that are not as dense as LA, San Francisco).
Illegal immigrants have no right to be here, but CA lets them vote, hold government positions, and basically caters to them due to the changing demographics and desire to be re-elected.
Not a fan of Trump, but I hope he does eliminate the law that says police cannot communicate with other enforcement agencies. It's time to recognize what has happened in CA - an exodus of any and all that can get out by the time their kids are in school.
9
I do not know if Trump is a racist or not, but when it comes to MS-13 members, referring to them as animals is an insult to non-humans. I live on Long Island and have seen what has happened to some our communities by the influx of MS-13 gangs from Central America. Rape, torture and murder are how they enforce their rules and protect their territory.
Unchecked illegal immigration from Central America has allowed MS-13 and other gangs to take hold in our country. A good portion of the people who voted for Trump do not like his odious comments and behavior, but support securing our borders.
21
Sounds like, again, President Trump hit the nail right on the head. 'Animals' sounds about right.
7
Isn't it nice that we finally have a strongly PRO-LIFE president and vice-president? If the babies immigrants give birth to are animals are the PRO-LIFE president suggests, then providing abortions to these animal mothers shouldn't be a problem, right? Because terminating an animal's life is not defined as "murder."
1
The scientific reality is that all humans are animals. There is actually much less dividing homo sapiens from non-human animals than generally perceived. The world would be a much better place if people reflected once in a while about the fact that humans are also animals. But of course that would force us to have difficult conversations about the way we treat non-human animals and would undermine the basic tenets of all organized religions, so I'm not holding my breath.
4
Sherif Mims is pretty lame. She supposedly knows a certain person is an MS 13 gang member in her custody and is apparently helpless to do anything. What's he in for? Jaywalking? I think she has trouble with the due process part of constitutional rights.
But it's classic Republican thinking. It's easy to play on people's prejudices by demonizing an entire group and then victimizing that group in a public show of strength. Who cares if way more innocent people are swept up with those truly guilty.
ICE's own data alleges gang membership for only several dozen unaccompanied minors out of more than 45,000 that enter per year. Given the horrendous conditions in many Central American countries, the vast majority probably have valid claims for asylum and would be successful if given adequate legal representation.
5
Of course one doesn't agree with calling other humans animals. But one does agree with the enforcement of Title 8, United States Code, that governs immigration to the United States. If we let everyone in who considered coming here, we would soon have a population exceeding 1 billion. That is not what most people want, despite their protestations of doctrinaire Political Correctness. Too bad it seems like one has to make a pact with the tangerine-haired devil in order to accomplish this cloture.
7
Here's is what I find so frustrating with our modern journalism and that is it is merely a reporting of words exchanged without any follow up to the facts. This is consistently creating a false equivalency. Politicians & pundits are allowed to state their "facts" or opinions unchecked. Instead of "fact-checking" being a separate function, why not call out inaccuracies or lies? They are certainly welcome to express their thoughts, but because they state those does not make them true or maybe just partially true.
Are there any facts supporting Trump's or California's position? How does the so-called sanctuary laws limit communication between local & federal law enforcement, or does it really?
4
“Mexico does nothing for us,” Mr. Trump said. “Mexico talks, but they do nothing for us, especially at the border. Certainly don’t help us much on trade, but especially at the border, they do nothing for us.”
This comment bugs me too, we do nothing for Mexico we buy their drugs making violence there a problem.
2
The President, like any effective demagogue, uses scapegoating to rally his troops. The largest group of scapegoats are our immigrants from south of the border. As a native Californian, I have lived with immigrants all my life, and as a teacher for over 40 years, I taught many immigrant children and got to know their families. Most of the Latino people I have known over the years are the salt of the earth, hard working, devoted to their children, clear about the value of education, citizens we should be proud to have in our country. Our President knows nothing and doesn’t care about any of this but never mind. Making wild accusations and assumptions based on lies and variations of the truth are all part of how he and his sycophants operate. I am proud of my California heritage and the forward looking attitudes of our state and local governments.
4
Let’s have a menagerie of Nobel prize winners, billionaires, geniuses, business owners, artists and hard working people who pick fruit, clean offices, take care of children and bring beauty, diversity, love and kindness to our country gather at the White House and demand an apology from a man who shows daily (hourly!) that he isn’t worthy of his position and power.
2
I know people who say things like this, and worse. This will give them great pleasure to hear the president repeat their own thoughts back to them. Trump is parroting the most deplorable of the deplorables, not the other way 'round.
I once broke off an engagement to a young woman because she and her mother ranted and raved in such wise during the Mariel boatlift. I know, that was a long time ago - but I still know that woman today, and of course she is an ardent Trump supporter. She is even more intolerant and hate-filled than she was then - her husband too.
How about that? I actually made a good decision!
3
Salvadorans had a great many children even though they continually had trouble raising enough for them to eat and could not afford to educate them. The large population ended up fighting over limited resources. Eventually, Reagan foolishly decided to support one side in the war.
Some Salvadorans illegally moved here, saying they were escaping the violence. Reagan wanted them deported, but churches gave them shelter until Reagan relented. The problem was that the Salvadorans came from a third world country and had little, if any, education. The youth did not know how to adapt to our modern country. Just like the Salvadorans who have come since then, they had trouble socially and were way behind in school. Many banded together, perhaps at first, only for friendship. But then they became a murderous gang that gained so much notoriety that the government deported many of them back to El Salvador.
The Salvadorans who come here today, without permission, are just as poorly educated and as unprepared to adapt to modern society as the earlier ones. Some minors come to join a parent who, years ago, left them behind, to illegally cross our border. Chances are that the parent has had more children, and is not as welcoming as the new migrant expected. The latter ends up joining (or rejoining) MS-13, to make friends with people of similar background, but then becomes part of the gang network, selling drugs and violently forcing their laws.
5
Too many children are what our new administration strives for. Gutting all programs that encourage birth control and family planning has the obvious result. We not only push this policy here but abroad as well. Our new religious government should be praising countries who overpopulate, rather than hypocritically condemning them.
1
The appalling Donald Trump leaves so much to be desired but I cannot understand why Democrats enable criminality in the form of illegal immigration? Illegal immigration goes hand in hand with identity theft, Social Security fraud, and public benefits abuse.
5
Please be more fair and objective. Trump was referring to the MS-13 gang members. i suspect that the parents of those young kids murdered savagely by MS-13 would agree with his description!
I agree that Trump is indeed unfit for office, but when you distort your news articles to paint him unfairly in a negative manner, it could easily lend credence to the claim that the media is biased and therefore animate the undecided voters in the GOP direction.
therefore, please use some editorial restraint!
16
A question for Trump's apologists: How is separating children from their parents going to reduce the number of "animals" that get into the US?
1
The preening Potentate, spewing more obnoxious garbage. The deplorables are in rapture. The Antichrist has returned in all his orange madness.
3
He referred to MS-13.........Your biased opinion page you call a newspaper is helping the RED Wave which will engulf you in November. Thank You for Making America Great Again, without really knowing it.
12
That's just the first step. What he means is anyone who isn't white.
This new America is anything but great. Tearing things down, gutting policies that work, destroying everything Obama put in place simply because Obama put it in place, choosing unqualified people, and rarely having alternatives to what he destroys will eventually effect all Americans not only those at the bottom.
Any time the leader of a country attempts to dehumanize certain groups of people as "less than", "inferior" or worst of all, "animals", that leader is promoting racism. Obviously, nobody wants gangs here. To compare all immigrants to gang members is intentionally ignorant, and serves only to inflame the existing hatred of his base towards all brown people. Hitler did this to the Jews in the 1930's, and those of us who recognize this playbook need to get to the polls in November and vote, for the survival of our democracy.
5
The fact that he refers to immigrants as "animals" buy Neo-Nazis as "fine people," tells you all you need to know about what kind of person our president is.
7
Donald Trump referred to MS-13 gang members as "animals", not "unauthorized immigrants" (formerly known as illegal aliens). The New York Times again shows how journalists let their Democratic Party membership color their reporting. Sad.
It's okay to not like Donald Trump. Even to hate him. Many people do. You still have a responsibility as journalists to inform people of the facts, not your opinions.
12
Accurate. but only for MS13 and the gangbangers. there are some which are still young and can change; but if you come here and bully our kids in schools and at parks and continue your feuds, then yes you are an animal. the other 99% of undocumented are our people who hate MS13 (what we were fleeing anyway) more than you do, President Trump. i suggest you silo the gangbangers from the majority of hard working future citizens.
4
A number of posters here think that Trump's "animal" acts need to be taken in context, or interpreted correctly. No, the problem is that Trump's words need interpretation in the first place, and even then we might not know what he really means.
My take-away here is that the President of the United States is gradually and inexorably losing his mind. I'm waiting for the climactic "Caine Mutiny Court Marshall" scene, you know, the one where Queeg turns to the tribunal and says "They were all disloyal officers! I tried to enforce discipline among the crew, but they fought me at every turn! And that Mr. Merrick -- an especially disloyal officer.....!
Can't you here those little steel balls clicking already?
3
"Animals" constantly deal with reality, what the actual conditions of their environment and their current situation. They respond appropriately and within the complex balances of all the niches around them. "Animals" also adjust realistically to change. I cannot see anything in Mr. Trump's behavior, actions, and statements that would characterize him as an "animal". Rather he presents himself in this meeting as a pathological individual, reacting without any self-control to whatever demented ideas are racing through his mind. The immigrants are true "animals", who are doing their best to realistically adjust to radical changes in their environment. Millions of past immigrants have proven their mature ability to benefit their lives and the lives of the greater environement/society they moved to: the USA.
15
"Sophisticated" Progressives duped by Trump's purposely vague crude epithet falling into Conservative trope directed against perceived squeamish Liberals: soft on crime while coddling violent criminals. Playbook strategy gave us Nixon, Reagan, Trump.
3
"Purposely" gives him way too much credit. Purpose requires executive function. Your man has been running on instinct alone for quite some time, and it's never more apparent than when he's exhausted.
Hey Trump. When you say they're "animals" are you referring to the people who clean your homes?, maintain your gardens?, work at your hotels? If you really want to do something about illegal immigration clamp down on the people who hire them or better yet open up trade with Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua etc. and help their economies thrive.
15
Was not aware that MS-13 was busy maintaining gardens and providing room service of the Eggs Benedict. I did not know that.
1
isn't Trump only a generation or two from an immigrant himself? And what about two of his wives?
14
I was not aware that either of the two were part of a murderous international crime syndicate. But you never know, right, when you want to let a febrile imagination wander?
5
I said to buy stock in white wash. And even more is being used today by his defenders. Trump has a history of being just ambiguous enough for deniability while being able to get his meaning across.
The actual statement he was responding to was: "There could be an MS-13 member I know about -- if they don’t reach a certain threshold, I cannot tell ICE about it." after Mims had been speaking about immigrants in general and how "ICE is the only law enforcement agency that cannot use our databases to find the bad guys."
"There could be an MS-13 member" but Trump goes off "We have people coming into the country, or trying to come in -- and we’re stopping a lot of them -- but we’re taking people out of the country. You wouldn’t believe how bad these people are. These aren’t people. These are animals. And we’re taking them out of the country at a level and at a rate that’s never happened before. And because of the weak laws, they come in fast, we get them, we release them, we get them again, we bring them out. It’s crazy."
"An" is generalized to people and its clear that it isn't limited. The things he is speaking about are about what is being done in general to immigrants to just MS-13 members.
But the talking point white washing will continue.
What I don't understand is that the bigots stood tall and proud with their T-shirts and buttons at Trump's rallies with even worse printed on them. Why are they trying to deny what Trump said now?
9
There was no "whitewashing" here. The entire context of the conversation was about access to law enforcement databases to catch criminals:
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2018/may/17/context-dona...
What you are doing is trying to provide cover for this blatantly misleading article.
9
Funny, he didn't mention criminals or gangs though. He said people. And he was speaking of all people coming into the country. Now you will say that he was using people to refer to criminals. But when has he every shown any reluctance to call criminals just that - or more - with his name generator?
1
“This is the year that we have to move Congress,” Mr. Sessions said.
We sure do Mr. Sessions - we have to move the majority of them right out of office.
16
I thought the question he was answering was related to MS13 gang members, which is referenced to at the bottom of the article.
When I went through the immigration process (in the queue and legally), I was under the impression that getting a traffic ticket would get me deported , forget about driving without a licence. That there seems to be different rules for legal and illegal immigrants is mind blowing.
There is a very different mind set to law and order between legal immigrants that paid fees, filled out multiple forms, had interviews in English , lined up jobs/housing and waited and waited and illegal immigrants that followed a different process.
There seems to be an inordinate focus on the illegal immigrant experience, and a willful ignorance of the legal immigrant experience, as one fits the political narrative.
20
people who earn $2-$5 a day in Latin America cannot afford the luxury of "legal immigration" that seems to separate the good people from the animals … Trump's remarks are disgustingly un-American!
The DACA program should really get you steamed. DACA enrollees are treated MUCH better than legal immigrant candidates. The requirements are minimal. Age, length of illegal residency, involvement with any kind of school or job. Criminal record? Sure. You can have a misdemeanor for which you served up to a year in jail and up to three lesser misdemeanors for which you served no more than 90 days each.
4
Whether or not he called all immigrants "animals" is not the point. His administration is taking children from their parents and putting them in institutions or, probably worse, foster care, for indeterminate periods of time. Trump is incarcerating young children, even babies - who like the DACA kids are brought to the U.S. illegally but through no fault of their own - as punishment for the adults who attempt to cross the Mexican border, and only the Mexican border. The children of other illegals, overstaying their "welcome", do not get kidnapped and held for ransom - just Hispanics.
Sickening behavior - endorsed and encouraged by the current administration.
On another note - I think Sessions got the last comment bang on. "This is the year that we have to move Congress." Yes, definitely. To a Democratic majority.
16
American citizens, when found guilty of a crime, are separated from their families and sent to prison. People who cross the border illegally, and are not eligible for asylum (most are not) have also committed a crime and will likely serve time, being separated from their family.
I see no read why an illegal alien that is a criminal should be treated differently than a citizen. The person who brings their children over the border illegally is responsible for the consequences, in this case, their children going to care while their case is reviewed. The only way for this to stop is to discourage people from illegally entering with minors in tow.
1
You definitely have a valid point, except the people being incarcerated (the children of the migrants) didn't commit a crime, have never had a trial for a crime, have never been convicted of anything, yet are being incarcerated in jail like facilities with no access to their parents. And the administration isn't taking the children away who enter the country with their parents if they arrive from some other country, other than Mexico.
It is barbaric and appears to be race related.
I might have been inclined to give Trump the benefit of doubt regarding this statement as some readers are doing, but Trumps response at Charlottesville precludes that.
Were the brown shirted marchers accorded such venom? Was the person that used his vehicle as a weapon to target innocents ? Only after an inordinate amount of time lapsed did Trump even bother with a meek reply that basically equivocated, saying good people on both sides.
Any response yet, like an invitation to the White House, for one of the most heroic acts in the last decade, for unarmed young black man that took away a rifle with his bear hands thus preventing more deaths from the animal shooter?
4
"The attorney general, a former senator who helped to derail previous attempts at revamping immigration laws, also expressed hope that a legislative overhaul could be enacted this year …”
Previous attempts to revamp the laws would have given yet another amnesty to people who have moved here illegally (which would have saddled taxpayers with having to provide these poorly educated, unskilled people with even more government benefits than they are getting now, and which would have encouraged yet more people to come here illegally), and would have raised the number of people who could move here legally, based not on their merits, but solely on kinship.
Charles Schumer crafted the 1986 amnesty, saying it would end all further illegal immigration. It did the opposite. It encouraged at least 4 times as many people to move here illegally, the vast majority of whom have next-to-no education, and so are heavily dependent on government services and subsidies. Previous attempts to overhaul immigration would have made a mockery of our borders.
The attorney general wants a legislative overhaul that will tighten immigration laws for the benefit of our own citizens.
18
Are these the same “animals “ that clean our hotel rooms and homes? Care for our children and elderly, build our houses, serve in the food industry, pick our fruits and vegetables and do all the other work that white people are too lazy or spoiled to do? Is that who you’re referring to?
I have no idea where you got your statistics (Faux news I imagine) but you are wrong when you accuse immigrants of living on welfare & subsidies. Check the REAL facts.
23
Please, specify what "benefits" these people are getting and how they are able to circumvent the system created to only extend benefits to qualified applicants.
I'll wait.
10
I stopped reading at "at least 4 times as many people." Even if you don't check facts, that's obviously not true.
5
I wonder if Trump ever has seen "Hotel Rwanda?"
It's a dark day when an American president refers to human beings as animals.
80
This can't be said enough times...if you don't want another 4 years of this maniac and his enablers in Congress, then vote in November.
90
Of course, if you DO want another 4 years of this supremely talented, courageous man and his supporters, please--please--get out and vote in November. Don't assume that the Democrat party will exhibit its customary fecklessness, ineffectualness and self pity.
2
I wish that the press had some intellectual honesty here.
He was referring to gang members.
Here is the exact conversation that should have been reported. This is exactly why people accuse the press of bias.
SHERIFF MIMS: Thank you. There could be an MS-13 member I know about -- if they don’t reach a certain threshold, I cannot tell ICE about it.
THE PRESIDENT: We have people coming into the country, or trying to come in -- and we're stopping a lot of them -- but we're taking people out of the country. You wouldn’t believe how bad these people are. These aren’t people. These are animals. And we're taking them out of the country at a level and at a rate that's never happened before
32
Steve,
Thank you for the quotation. To my reading - and I could be wrong - it is not clear who "these people" Trump mentioned are. The language used is not very precise.But context matters, that is true.
7
Such comments ignore the fact that Trump has consistently exaggerated the number of MS-13 gang members trying to enter the US, ignored the inconvenient fact that many are US citizens who cannot be deported, and has conflated the issue of gangs with all unauthorized immigrants, the vast majority of whom are fleeing gang and political violence in their home countries. His goal is to demonize non-White immigrants, given his stated preference for Norwegians, and too many of his supporters are falling for it. A fact-checking article is enlightening: http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2018/feb/07/donald-tr....
38
Steve, Sheriff Mims was speaking specifically; Trump was speaking in generalities. You're comparing apples and oranges. Yes context matters, but in this case it doesn't support your point. It argues against it.
2018 and 2020 has to be about morality. If a politician is immoral, no matter their policies, they must never hold office. If they are in office, they must be thrown out. We owe this to our children. The messaging must be clear. America has a president who is clearly immoral. Every elected official who cares to have their children value honesty, integrity and decency must publicly acknowledge - the president is a disgrace.
53
Indeed, DJT is a piece of work but don’t think the White House would exhibit ‘honesty, integrity, and decency’ if Hillary Clinton had been elected. (Lousy election, huh...)
3
Have you seen what these drug cartels do to their victims?
Worse than animals, because it's intentional torture.
21
Have you seen what Trump’s policies do to families? Separating kids from parents is what predators do. Arming cartels with guns from the US is what animals do. Supplying arms to the Saudis that kill children in Yemen is what animals do. Trump hardly has the high ground.
12
I would imagine the cartel kings have no reason to flee to the U.S. I think these are people fleeing the violence, that many people in the U.S. are financing as drug buyers and customers.
But Trump wants people to associate the fleeing families as the same thing.
1
Unfortunately, the Republican party gave up the high ground on torture. Intentional torture has been practiced by the United States of America and Trump has praised it.
3
How do you tell the 'fresh' border jumpers?
They walk in the margin of the curb. You see, they don't have sidewalks in their home towns so they do not know how to walk on them.
Aside from taking the place of lowly educated blacks for low cost agriculture products, or midrange services (that drive away domestic labor), what value do they contribute?
6
So take a stand and stop eating food.
And stop using anything that the government helps, since a lot of tax revenue comes from immigrants.
1
"Mexico does nothing for us...for trade..."
Frome where do you think produce, clothing, metal, etc comes???
30
Of course, much of it comes from our fair state. And those who plant, care for, and harvest our crops are not members of gangs, but hardworking people. We'd have a really tough time without them. So would the rest of the country.
4
For clarity - MS13 is NOT a Mexican gang, it’s an outgrowth of Regan era intervention is Central America - ask Oliver North who sold drugs in the basement of the White House to fund an illegal war AKA “Iran Contra”.
64
Sadly, this is exactly the type of leadership that the GOP base has been clamoring for. This shameful rhetoric only boosts Trumps popularity and is a winner for the GOP. They have driven the immigration debate into the sewer and its good politics for them.
23
The headline is an out and out lie. Trump was referring to MS-13 gang members as animals. Which they are.
"Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims expressed her frustrations with the federal government to the president regarding the handling of criminal illegal immigrants and cited MS-13 gang members as an example. Responding directly to that, Trump said the following:
“You wouldn’t believe how bad these people are. These aren’t people, these are animals, and we’re taking them out of the country at a level and at a rate that’s never happened before.”
However, dozens of media outlets have only shared the response to Sheriff Mims, not including her question and comments that were directly about MS-13 and in the process purposefully mischaracterizing the president’s remarks to accuse him of referring to immigrants as “animals.”"
26
Thank you for that clarification.
1
He shouldn't be referring to MS-13 gang members as animals either.
If any one of them had Freddie Trumpette as their daddy, do you think they would be committing crimes tattooed with frightening cartoons?
I dont think that his children--to whom you contemptuously refer as Trumpettes--would be committing arson, rape and murder, even if they had just come from an extended shopping trip at J. Crew.
2
Trump was referring to MS-13, not "unauthorized immigrants" in general, as "animals", in response to the sheriff's previous comment.
Sheriff Margaret Mims: There can be an MS-13 gang member I know about. If they don’t reach a certain threshold I cannot tell ICE about them.
President Trump: We have people coming into the country, or trying to come in — we’re stopping a lot of them. You wouldn’t believe how bad these people are. These aren’t people, these are animals, and we’re taking them out of the country at a level and at a rate that’s never happened before.
FTR, I'm an anti-Trump conservative, but at least his comments should be framed in context and honestly.
56
The context is interesting, but it doesn't justify the virulence of President Trump's response.
Moreover, Trump, an artful propagandist, surely knew that many people would not interpret "These people ..." narrowly. He might (theoretically) have qualified his remarks, but obviously chose not to do so.
8
With all due respect Bird Dog, the article provides an exact quote of what Trump actually said. And the headline is also accurate. Trump did call "some" immigrants animals. You seem like an honest & thoughtful person - can you tell me if Rush & Sean & other conservative pundits are encouraging their fans to subscribe to the NYT in order to troll the Comment section? I am not being snarky with you; I am asking seriously. Thank you.
5
Isn't it frustrating when the mainstream (or "lamestream" if that's your thing) media takes things out of context or ignores nuance? I'm sure glad that never happens on FOX-Bart or other right wing news outlets. (By the way, I'm pretty sure that MS-13 members are also human beings, despicable as some of them may be. Too bad the Reagan era exploitation of Central America led to the creation of such a nasty gang.)
5
Trump's grandfather, Friedrich Trump, is one animal we could have done without.
66
Having been researching what he said, I'm really appalled at the Times seemingly purposeful attempt to skew and distort what Trump said. If the Times was truly honest it would clearly state that Trump said that about only MS13 gang members who rape and butcher kinds in the US for the fun of it! Are those the people you want here?!?!? Same distortion two years ago when Trump was called on saying immigrants were rapists and murders. Remember that one?!?!?! He said it ONLY about Mexican smugglers. Research the real news before you jump on the hate Trump wagon.
29
The problem is the Trump does not know how to speak in public. His comments were so general that it included all immigrants that come into this country not only MS-13. Had he specifically singled out the gangs then you would have a point. However, he hedges his bets by speaking in grand generalities so he angers the left and pleases his base. That beside the point is that he is Americas spokesman and he should be specific, words matter.
6
They apologists are out in full force, scolding us for not grasping "the context" for his remark, annotating on his behalf, making sure we understand that our bellicose President didn't mean *all* undocumented immigrants, just some. His most egregious knee-jerk racist and xenophobic impulses are now re-framed, presented as off-the-cuff candor about some seemingly niche concern, tainted by the nation's precipitous need to condemn Trump. It's a preposterous and insulting new aspect of Trump normalization, not only the need to ignore the malicious content of his rant, but to characterize the reception as misunderstanding.
72
If I hadn't actually listened to the whole conversation, I would have also thought he was referring to immigrants and not to MS-13 gang members. I also loved the NYT adding "transnational" in front of MS-13. Despite the fact that these gang members enter the country largely through Mexico.
I'm no fan of some of Mr. Trump's policies but can we at least get the facts right? This only helps those who tag the NYT as #FakeNews
30
America left the back door open for decades to allow cheap labor in without the bother of immigration controls. Trump may want to slam the door shut — but separate that border control issue from dealing with the people who are already here. Criminals out, but calling all of these people "animals" speaks to Trump's basic inhumanity and lack of empathy. Kevin McCarthy should be very careful how he buys into Trump's rhetoric — his Congressional seat might be at risk if he alienates good people by disparaging others.
6
How come the President never says anything about the growing Russian mob some with connections to the Russian government in his hometown New York?
Every time I sit down to eat I realize that much of the food on my table comes from the hard, often backbreaking work that these people the President refers to as animals have given us.
We can debate reasonable immigration policy without referring to people from different parts of the world who are trying to better their lives as animals.
The President's incendiary remarks are an indication of a hate filled man full of raw bigotry. Do we really want to construct solutions to complex problems and laws based on that kind of raw hatred?
25
The headline is factual true and all the duplicity is in the margins. But if people are too lazy to read the actual article or better yet watch the televised press conference, or read the transcript, then I honestly think they deserve the news they get. The people who hate our President scare me more then he ever will.
5
This nonsense highlights one of the Trump follower's favorite tactics: pretend Trump has no agency. Portray those who stand up to Trump as operating from blind hatred. All nonsense. Trump provokes people all day long and you pretend he's an innocent babe.
1
A little truth.
Over half of the very small number (@ 3% of total) of people in this country without proper immigration papers are from countries other than our neighbors to our south.
Europeans, people from Asia, the Middle East, Africa, South America - not one of these people would be affected by a wall between us and Mexico. They fly in with visas and then just don't leave. Got that?
That's half of the 11 million people without proper documentation.
Next, total crossing of our southern border is way down relative to twenty years ago. The issue is truly less and less a concern. A non issue.
Much of this blah blah from the liar in chief is just about keeping his base scared and confused and distracted from their real problem: the continued policies of Republicans politicians to make the super-wealthy - who bribe them - even more wealthy. To tilt the system toward them and away from working Americans. AKA Trump's base.
If you let the carnival barker, who managed to fool just enough people to get himself elected, define truth for you on immigration or any other issue facing America, then you'll be a victim of his well known fraud.
That's the job of a carnival barker.
To keep your attention so he can rip you off.
Anybody still buying his nonsense?
Really? After hearing it this long?
Hysterical!!
20
Illegal immigration is an eminently solvable problem, with the tools currently in place and without an expensive new wall. Two steps:
(1) Mandate that businesses use the existing federal E-verify program to check that all new hires are legally entitled to work in the US.
(2) Spot check businesses and hand out fines and criminal prosecutions to owners and managers (not poor workers) who break the law.
If the bi-partisan elite running this country wanted to reduce illegal immigration to manageable levels, we would have seen these two steps enacted years ago.
Wealthy people benefit from illegal immigration, which harms working-class citizens. That's why immigration reform regularly goes nowhere.
17
Here's what's fascinating: for different reasons, both parties resist taking steps to really get control of this situation. When several California cities tried to require the use of eVerify by employers, the State stepped in to prohibit any such measure.
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/oct/16/local/la-me-e-verify-20111017
The only states taking a strong stance with eVerify are red ones.
https://www.lawlogix.com/e-verify-map/
3
You can set a watch by it.
Just back from a long trip, and here he is, at his most disordered.
Someone, anyone, put this sick old man on the no-fly list. He's not well, and his deterioration is accelerating.
19
The POTUS is a disgrace, there is no other word for it.
How do the staff who work for him continue to enable him by remaining in their positions?
How do Republicans continue to support him?
I can accept that voters who voted for him in the presidential election may not have recognized the full depths of his character, but no more. It is clear what he is.
The world is entitled to judge America based on the results of upcoming elections. The excuse of supporting Trump because of certain of his policies no longer works. Vote Republican, that is okay, but not for Republicans who support Trump.
7
I cant believe the MSM is running with the lie that Trump was talking about all illegal aliens, even going as far as editing the video of Trump saying MS-13 gang members. Pathetic
14
Typical of Trump, to subject Mexico, and its citizens, to all kinds of abuse, and then demand that they do something for us, especially in the area of immigration, where he has called Mexicans rapists and criminals.
9
Separating children from their parents is torture. It is certainly unAmerican.
18
I'd expect no less from America's first alt-right president.
7
Perhaps we should all re-read the Declaration of Independence. Those rebels and resistors who we now call the founders of our nation agreed that all (not just those living in Towers) are created equal, with certain unalienable Rights, including Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. Dehumanizing these people is a rejection of our founding principal that these are self-evident truths. Calling them animals is a declaration of dependence on the established power structure that is colored white (with heavy orange tints).
4
I'd encourage people to read the full transcript of this meeting, it seems very clear that Trump is referring specifically to MS-13. This article may be contributing to people prone to xenophobia, the more they believe the president is calling immigrants "animals", the more comfortable they might feel expressing their hatred and bigotry. Part of the blame must lie on editors who allow this sort of reporting, I think we need to stick with facts. Not all Mexicans are drug traffickers and rapists, no one has ever said that, but it sure helps sell papers.
12
Donald Trump is not my President. Immigrants referred to as "animals"? An utterly crass and vulgar statement from someone who has a gutter mentality. The United States is a country of immigrants, and that includes your relatives, Donald.
How much longer do we, as a country, have to put up with this seemingly senile twit who is unfit to serve- on any level- as President of the United States of America.
The sooner he is out of office the better as he does not - in any way- reflect the tenets of democracy the majority of citizens in the United States uphold.
9
You'll find out whether he's your president the next time you willfully disobey one of his executive orders.
1
I have had to confront people President Trump refers to as animals. Mr. Trump, you insulted the animals. MS 13 gang members are a deadly species.
9
With some drugs, over time, dosage must increase to get the same effect. Another problem is withdrawal disorder--depression, delusion, disorientation..
So too with with Trump-rant--the opium of Trumpies. The degree of personal depravity--public lies, insult, confusion, spittle--must increase or it will get boring, hardly news.
Then, since the egomaniac's presidency is simply a mega selfie stage--advertising him/his brand--he/it would morph into static--sound and fury sans significance.
But then, politics USA, will suffer its own withdrawal symptoms. With no icon of uncritical thinking--proof that US bureaucracy is hardy foolproof--the free from law and logic market might just sail along, under the radar, as it has for a century, uncritically.
And the Reaganesque advertising will be that "getting government off your back" is a blessing instead of anarchy--or a return to feudal Plutocracy, Kleptocracy or Kakistocracy; they will call that "making America great, again."
"Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities." -Voltaire
6
He was obviously talking about MS-13 members, not women and children looking for a safe haven. The MS-13 members are animals. Any gang or group that partake in beheadings are barbaric animals. They are no better than ISIS. Trying to slant this as anything else is just bias reporting.
18
Trump complains here that Mexico does nothing for us, on trade or at the border. This is what happens when we elect a President who's had everything handed to him his whole life: by his 8th decade, he can't even conceive of other people failing to serve him.
What should the Mexican gov't do for us, bar their citizens from leaving the country? Prohibit exports, putting their own people out of work? The man who has never given away a buck in his life blithely expects his Mexican counterpart to give away the store in return for nothing. Dealmaker he is not.
6
In a conversation about the coordination of ICE with local law enforcement, Trump refers to MS-13 gang members as 'animals'.
Prominent Democrats (e.g, Sen. Schumer) pretend he was referring to all immigrants. The NY Times plays along.
Takeaway for liberals: the narrative is right - Trump is a bigoted hater!
Takeaway for conservatives: the narrative is right - Fake News!
This is how we keep America divided.
11
“Animals.”
To what depths have we, as a sovereign nation, sunk?
I ask Hispanics, who have voted with Republicans for several election cycles and generations, how they can continue to support a party that, without remorse or regret, makes its contempt and hostility for them in clear and unmistakable terms?
Mexico is a true and steadfast neighbor. They deserve a border partner who respects them, their heritage, language, culture and customs—their fine people—without qualification. They possess a work ethic that millions of Americans might do well to both honor and emulate.
The president is unhinged. He went on an ungentlemanly tirate last week against his Homeland Security Department Secretary, Kirstjen Nielsen. Yesterday, he said even more unkind words, addressing a Cabinet that barely managed a collective yawn and shrug.
Who are we anymore?
4
This is such selective outrage, and absurdly biased (and intentionally misleading) from nytimes, NPR this morning, etc, who all bury that context to inflame headline readers but allow deniability later on. Watch the clip - Trump is clearly talking about MS-13 gang members, who do "light crimes" like stab 100 times, behead, and then cut out heart. Animals is too nice a term.
Consider this C.S. Lewis quote, and then read the Washington Post article below:
'Nothing in Man is either worse or better for being shared with the beasts. When we blame a man for being "a mere animal", we mean not that he displays animal characteristics (we all do) but that he displays these, and only these, on occasions where the specifically human was demanded. (When we call him "brutal" we usually mean that he commits cruelties impossible to most real brutes; they're not clever enough.)'
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/police-ms-13-members-...
5
Don't want to accuse NYT of misleading it's readers, but I heard a segment on the radio where Mr. Trumps "animals" comment distinctly referenced member of MS-13, not immigrants in general.
If that is correct, the NYT report is extremely misleading.
10
The idea of separating parents from their children horrifies me. I can't imagine how traumatized family members are, particularly preschool-aged children. I would like the New York Times to investigate this policy in greater detail. Where are the children held, for how long, and under what conditions? What services are they given? Who are their caretakers, and how and by whom are they supervised? Are siblings separated from each other? How soon are parents and children reunited? How did this policy originate? Is there any truth to the statement, "These are bad laws the Democrats gave us"? What can the average American citizen do, first to assist these families caught up in this situation, and second to change these laws?
4
You can help by asking parents not to come into this country illegally with their children. Those people who are put in prison for any crime are separated from their children. We don't have family detention centers.
6
Where is this country heading? When did any president ever act or speak as does this one? Just imagine for a moment if America could have reached it's current place in the world with trump-like chief executives. How are we recognized by the citizens of other, formerly friendly countries and not the businesses there. And consider that it has been only slightly over a year to have fallen so far, and consider how far this president and his buddies have yet to go. Not only that but just see how difficult it has been for him to find members of his crew that rise, or lower. themselves to the level of accomplishment he demands from them.
So here we are with over two years to go before scheduled change is possible. How will our country respond to what we have lived through and have yet to experience? Will America march off into the future on a path never before taken that will ignore and distain knowledge, science, goodwill of others, cooperation with intellectual equals. Is the greatness we're to seek on the new path the exclusion, mean spirited pronouncements against selected persons or groups and to its true measure of national greatness measured by focused economic prosperity of the selected few of which the president includes himself?
3
Is anybody really surprised by Dangerous Donald's comments? Of course not. My concern is that millions of Deplorables love this kind of talk and the rest of us are simply getting used to it. Our leaders reflect who we are, not the other way around. That is a very frightening reality.
5
The President is mentally unfit for office, and the failure and cowardice of the cabinet and congress to act may cause the world to end.
Sec. Tillerson yesterday was was quite eloquent in his criticism
Tax cuts won't matter if we are all glowing in the ash heaps.
4
Animals? They are the snakes and vultures who work with Trump in the White House and on Wall Street. Animals? They are the goats who appear bound and determined to follow Trump to whatever that place is called where evil men spend eternity. Animals? The sheep that follow the Trump crowd so long as it resembles them.
In truth, any leader that proclaims others to be animals is attempting to dehumanize them so that others will commit harm upon them. Trump is attempting to provoke violence upon the immigrants and refugees. Who is the animal again?
4
This is nothing new he said the very same thing when he announced he was running for office. The scary part of yesterday’s meeting was his direction to the AG to go after a democratically elected mayor for following her conscience and the law of California simply because it goes against his agenda. What’s next locking up reporters who don’t write a puff piece about him or his family. This attitude is reminiscent of democratically elected officials turning into demagogues and finally dictators.
3
After everyone is done blasting Trump for his lastest tirade, I'd like to hear what a "common sense" immigration policy is. Right now, it appears as if we have a policy in California of "if you can get over/under the fence, you're ok." Is that a policy? Democrats need to win the next few elections. Does that policy win elections?
6
I think we are in much more danger from Mr. Trump's language and attitudes than we are from any criminals that may be entering the country illegally. He curries the favor of the Evangelicals, who as far as I know, still believe that everyone, even illegal aliens, are made in the image of God and are deserving of respect. I am not convinced illegal immigration is the problem that some people think it is but even if it is the people involved should still be treated with human decency.
1
Is there any bottom to the well of hatred and contempt this severely damaged person harbors for anyone who does not look like him?
4
Commentors keep pointing out (as if this is acceptable language from the President of the United States!) that 45 was referring to "gang members" as animals. Gangs from Mexico? Are they tattooed after their convictions for gang activities in Mexico, with "gang member" across their foreheads? Do we have absolute proof that every person referred to as an "animal" is a criminal? And by that logic, is every convicted criminal in the U.S. an animal? It seems likely, given the rhetoric from POTUS about immigrants in general, that he is painting all immigrants with the broad brush of criminality, and bestial criminals all that. Remember his remarks about Mexico sending us "murderers and rapists" early in his campaign. He certainly has no problem treating all of them like convicted criminals by abrogating their civil rights and abandoning common decency in separating parents from their children. We need a lot more light shone on all the activities of ICE right now, which I suspect go beyond their legal remit. Think of the vulnerability of the people who have been arrested and held for months without charges or recourse to any help. I cannot understand the vitriol and poisonous self-righteousness being directed toward people who are fleeing lawlessness and poverty and who simply want a better life for their children. If you were facing the conditions many of these immigrants face, you would protect your children in any way that you could.
4
Many of these “animals” are innocent families fleeing the collapse of their government and society. When they arrive, rather than finding amnesty, their children are torn from their breasts and they are indefinitely interned.
This is the country we live in now. All of us whose ancestors fled persecution to start a new life here should feel deep shame and outrage. Would Trump ever call a Caucasian immigrant an animal, and treat them as such?The president is a racist. The animal is in the White House.
5
Considering that he was referring to the likes of MS-13 members, I agree with him. They are vicious, predatory animals.
7
Yes, this article missed the part that he was talking about gang members. But it doesn't matter. We have worst people among us doing more harm that a whole gang could do. He missed his opportunity to call out those people at Charlottesville, he keeps defending his group even though evidences show that they are not who he says they are (Cohen, Manafort, Pruitt, etc), he praises other presidents knowing that they are oppressing their own people (Sisi, Duterte, even speaking nicely about Kim Jong-un, Putin for God's sake).. But he can call those people animals like nothing. Well, either he calls is like it is on everything or he can keep his thoughts to himself.
I hope people realize that the fact people are calling what he did wrong, does not mean they support gangs to come to this country. It just the way he expresses himself and the fact that everybody coming thru that border will be categorize the same way. It is not the first time he has said something racist. So, yes it was about MS13 and yes it was racist, out of line comment.
3
Each time I read the latest filth oozing from DT’s mouth, I feel both delight in his unending need to vilify everyone but himself, and disgust that there are Americans so enamoured of him that they have thrown away all semblance of decency in order to continue their support. In the history of our country, this so-called presidency will go down as the low point - after we get rid of him, it’s going to be a hard but determined climb back into the light of decency.
2
The individual who threatens to breach the borders of our democratic institution is Mr. Trump himself-not the many scared, poor who flee horrific lives in other countries. If he had his way, he would follow Putin and declare himself president for life!
3
"Unchecked immigration" has got to be the biggest "boogey-man" of all time, and the Fox-News-saturated masses seem to think it's the worst crisis to hit this country since Reconstruction. Why has America forgotten it is a land of immigrants? Hatred of immigrants is nothing new, but I guess I expected more of us in the 21st Century - some demons never die.
4
Having no real set agenda, apart from tax cuts (Benefited the 1%). The killing of our environment, cashing in on office of the president. The only strategy is fear, to appeal to his base.
3
What a crock
Trump was talking about MS-13
6
Yes!
Can't understand the support for criminal illegal aliens. Liberals, dig your grave on this issue. Just keep calling it racism, please ...
1.4 million additional people in So Cal from Ventura County to San Diego County who shouldn't be there (actual illegals, not including their legal children) ... enough to fill every seat in the huge Dodger Stadium 25 times. think of that impact on the environment, traffic, housing, schools, on and on. Geez. No more!
9
These people are not animals, and Trump is doing things the wrong way, but he is right that illegal immigration is a problem. He is also right that sanctuary areas are hurting the country overall.
The USA is an island of relative stability in a world that is chaotic and will get more chaotic as the environment degrades. We need to protect ourselves. I read a while back that something like three quarters of a billion people would come here if they could. It would turn us into India.
Help these countries develop to the extent we can help them-- although their overpopulation will like seal their fates. Don't let their excess people come here.
8
In what way is illegal immigration a problem? Every study that I've read points towards immigrants, even undocumented ones, committing less crime than the native population. No economist would dispute that having a larger greater supply of labor is beneficial to the economy.
And is the US is really, as you say, an 'island of relative stability in a world that is chaotic', wouldn't it be our responsibility to help those people, especially considering that it it's mostly our actions that caused them to become more chaotic in the first place? Our actions in the drug war spurred political unrest and ended up helping the cartels more than hurting them, and cartels also owe a lot of their business to American drug users. It seems as if most of these arguments simply boil down to xenophobia; I don't necessarily think that you specifically are a racist, but you should consider how your comments come off, especially in the context of this dogwhistle by Trump.
8
It's going to take more than your word to demonstrate that "sanctuary cities" are hurting the country overall. On what do you base such a claim?
7
The primary way that illegal immigration is problem is that it grows our population faster than it otherwise would. The US population has grow by almost a 1/3 in my short life ( I am still younger than most people in this country, barely).
It is ironic that the Republicans seem to want to limit immigration as it is basically the only thing keeping our population growing. And a growing population is necessary for their preferred type of economy to continue expanding.
On the other hand our growing population is one of the primary reasons costs of living is so high, sprawl is so prevalent, solitude can no longer be found at most of our spectacular natural wonders as they are now overrun with people, and much our continent's wildlife is dying out.
I am the child of an immigrant. Most of are without having to go back too many generations. I am not against immigration. But letting in unlimited numbers will destroy this place as we know it. Not because some may be poor. Not even because some may be criminals. But because they will take up space and resources.
1
Somewhat misleading title. Listen to the Facebook stream and decide for yourself. A spokesman for law enforcement in California mentioned that she cannot report MS-13 gang members to ICE. Trumps response was these aren’t people, they’re animals. As much as I don’t like Trump he was labelling MS 13 gang members as animals. There are many other times when he has vilified illegal immigrant families with no sound reason or supporting facts. This is not one of them.
If you seen documentaries on MS 13 you’ll see that there is no humanity in what they do.
48
The POTUS ought not to be calling any group of human beings "animals". This is gutter talk, and it's calculated to whip up animus against our Southern Neighbors as a sort of Shadow Jim Crow Project for the aging white Evangelicals who constitute his most loyal, zealot base.
14
If YOU'VE seen documentaries on MS13 you know that it was born in American prisons in circumstances that were a direct result of U.S. intervention and exploitation in Central America.
7
The USA has been full of ethnic gangs for a couple of centuries. Italian, Irish, Russian, Mexican, South American, African American, Skin heads, etc., etc., etc.
The President once complained about not being able to get a fair hearing from a Judge because he was of Mexican decent. He boldly said it's because I'm going to build a wall. What makes you think the President isn't bringing up MS 13 because he wants to denigrate every person coming in to the country from our Southern border for the simple reason he is a bigot who wants to build a wall.
This isn't about a small gang this is about keeping America a white Christian nation. The President isn't talking in code stop pretending he needs to be decoded. This is part of a pattern.
8
Reasonable people understand that President Trump was referring to MS-13 gang members as “animals”, and reasonable people would agree with his assessment.
Unreasonable people are capable of only an interpretation that presents Trump in the worst light, and, having declared irrefutable their perspective, proceed to expound on the illogical extension of their unreasonable interpretation.
The most sensible thing to do is to immediately expel all illegal aliens from our country. It just makes good sense.
31
It's not helpful for the POTUS to refer to any group of human beings as "animals". It is beneath the dignity of the office, or was until Trump got there. Remember, Trump has already labeled undocumented Mexicans as rapists and criminals whereas, as a group, these people are less likely than the native born to commit crimes and more likely to be productive entrepreneurs.
24
Let's see your plan for expelling 12 million people--most of whom are providing vital labor in the agriculture and construction industries.
7
I think what many of us are sick of are his rants. Any rant. About anything. He rants endlessly about so many things. He bullies, he sneers, he demeans, he calls names, he spews hate. I am done with that. The president is supposed to be EVERY citizen's president. Every one of us, whether he likes it or not. I fail to see how this is supposed to unite us in any way. He just goes off on people or issues. And when he isn't ranting, he is lying about something. His behavior is not constructive. He isn't solving problems. He is destroying America.
4
Some people commenting evidently have a complaint about the way the NYTimes writes headlines.
If they would read the article itself they would see it makes clear that the so-called POTUS was responding to a reference to MS-13:
Here is a quote from the article, in full:
Quote
He exhorted his administration to “do much better” in keeping out undesirable people, including members of transnational gangs like MS-13.
“We have people coming into the country, or trying to come in — we’re stopping a lot of them,” Mr. Trump said in the Cabinet Room during an hourlong meeting that reporters were allowed to document. “You wouldn’t believe how bad these people are. These aren’t people, these are animals, and we’re taking them out of the country at a level and at a rate that’s never happened before.”
End quote
However, while he was so responding, there is no indication that he was LIMITING his comments to MS-13, as opposed to the people on the recent caravan (several hundred) who were camped at the border trying to be admitted.
In addition, the deportations are not limited to MS-13. The vast majority of the people being deported by ICE are NOT MS-13 at all, but often are people who are undocumented, but running successful businesses, or otherwise trying to be productive, including paying taxes.
Paint with a broad brush, get hit with the over-spray. That's Donnie.
89
There also was no indication that he was NOT LIMITING his comments to the people he was describing -- there is absolutely no basis for suggesting he was "painting with a broad brush." You are projecting.
2
Let's be clear about what's going on here. Trump is communicating to his base, his core of aging white Evangelicals who are unwavering in their support of this moral fright. The disgust that civilized, tolerant Americans feel towards these kinds of crude, racist outbursts is their very appeal to these Evangelicals - and our saving grace.
But the more disturbing matter this raises is what does it mean for American democracy that white Evangelicals, a significant voting bloc are willfully blind to Trump's moral and ethical degeneracy? That this bloc purports its cultural worldview is steeped in the values of christian scripture is as perverse as it is farce.
Jesus Christ would hide his face in grief at the ugliness and lies perped in his name.
42
There are moral aging white Evangelicals who do not support this President, such as former President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalyn who work hard to make lives better for so many around the world. What has happened?
3
Thanks for that, and you are correct about President Carter and his wife. We wish they and others like them were a majority of their cohort.
Rant from a man accused at various times of raping a child, a wife, with multiple assault charges by credible women, who bragged about grabbing women by the genitals, mused about his daughters' breasts, defrauded students and settled for tens of million, awash in laundered rubles via real estate deals and payments from people who seek to destabilize the USA..... grifter, possible traitor, certain liar..... rescued from debt by bribes, spies and bad guys. Thank you, Electoral College. You pranked the United States. Good one. Anyone see the old 2011 article in the Onion about which Democratic legislator took McConnell's first wife to bed? Quite a prank, too. Hey Mitch! Donald is the POTUS you deserve. The rest of us not so much.
51
Don't blame the electoral college, it was pranked too. The savvy and cynical grab for the few votes that would swing the electoral college iw what sealed this hellish deal. Brought to you courtesy of the Russians, Mercers, and Cambridge Analytica.
3
Donald Trump is the White Power President.
That is the source of his political clout.
These repeated racist statements are not gaffs or slips of the tongue. They reveal the character of the man. Trump's battle with political correctness is not about telling it like it is. It is about legitimizing racism and pushing it out into the lexicon of daily political discourse.
Trump is truly the great white hope for his base. They will not condemn him for these statements. Instead, they cheer him on. They applaud him.
So all together now!
White Power!
White Power!
Mitch, I can't hear you. A little louder please.
100
Trump is truly the great white hope for his base.
You mean The Great White Dope.
3
With every hateful rant,Trump gives tacit permission to his base and all manner of disturbed individuals to act out their most violent fantasies. When you consider that, according to polls, at least a third of this country's citizens heartily approve of him, I think it's fair to conclude that this potential for violence is increasing exponentially with every passing day.
This applies both to state-sanctioned violence, as in the average of three people now getting killed daily by law enforcementl, and the non-state sanctioned violence of people taking matters into their own hands, specifically their own hands gripping guns.
Not that our politicians seem to care. They're actually complicit. Trump doesn't seem like such an anomaly when the Senate has all but confirmed a known torturer and war criminal to head the CIA.
Trump refuses to feed any other belly besides the bloated one of the de facto oligarchy. The only thing he's interested in feeding to ordinary people is resentment.
Too many of us have become numbed to Trump's relentless bursts of projectile verbal vomitus. I don't know what's more noxious: calling immigrants "animals," his cruel demand to break up immigrant families, or his call for the prosecution of a democratically elected official acting to protect these same families.
This isn't a dog whistle to his fans: it's a bullhorn giving them permission to be brown-shirted vigilantes.
It's a very scary time to be alive.
110
We are not numb and we do not accept this. Due to dereliction of duty on the GOP and Fox News propaganda, the majority of Americans have no defense against this unhinged President. The Electoral College was supposed to prevent such a man from becoming President. It did not. The GOP Congress could prevent this in 5 minutes. They will not. We are led by minority rule and this is a smash and grab in progress. God help us (not looking at you Pence...).
3
A very scary time to be living in the US, especially if you are a person of colour.
It is well documented that the first step toward genocide and cruel injustice is to dehumanize the victims. Hitler referred to Jews as “rats” and as “subhumans.” Hutus called Tutsis “cockroaches.” Anyone who dismisses Trump’s rants as “just being Trump,” is engaging in the dangerous normalization of hate that has real consequences. For the President of our country to cast people, many families composed of women and children, who are fleeing from violence as “animals” is beyond appalling. The new government policy being done in your name and mine to separate even the smallest children from their parents seeking refugee status at our borders is a direct and cruel result of this mindset. The “logic” is that such a draconian step will stop refugees from coming here. Actually, it will not, as they are fleeing such horrific conditions they will hope for the best and still come. Every child who will be mistreated, raped, or traumatized at these detention centers (and you know that will happen) is our fault, our evil.
Seeking a consensus on common sense immigration laws and policy are one thing; ethnic hatred as official government policy is totally another. I am ashamed to be an American at this point.
256
Very well said. Trump's policies are rationalized by his hate. And, sadly, his popularity, with his base, is enhanced by it.
2
But as I write this, the number one recommended comment for this article in the NYTimes calls all Republicans animals. Are you equally ashamed of your fellow liberals, or is it more acceptable to dehumanize Americans than to dehumanize MS-13 gang members?
1
We know who the animals are.
They're the sociopaths who would rip the healthcare away from millions of Americans and replace it with tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires.
They're the sociopaths who would paint the toenails of the rich before fixing Flint, Michigan's poisoned water or any of America's broken roads, bridges and public transportation systems.
They're the sociopaths who would abandon Earth's fragile ecosystem for a few more dollars of pollution.
They're the sociopaths who would organ-harvest fear and loathing for a living and drown America's IQ in a right-wing bathtub.
They're the sociopaths who would rig America's electoral system so comprehensively that a minority vote would guarantee them power.
The animals are a herd of mad elephants stampeding the countryside with no regard for the forward progress of its citizens.
The Mad-Elephant-In-Chief and his herd need the most powerful elephant tranquilizer.
Vote on November 6 2018....in record numbers.
344
The M-13 gang members he called animals are bad too, though, no?
8
Well said!!
8
I realize that the elephant is a symbol of the GOP but I would never refer to criminal human sociopaths such as DJ Trump & his pathetic enablers as "elephants". Elephants are courageous & intelligent creatures. We would be better off if an actual herd of pachyderms was running the WH & Congress.
That said, Socrates, I am in agreement with your Post. Particularly the last part, "Vote on November 6 2018...in record numbers." Thank you.
21
Every single Republican elected official at every level should be asked, again and again until they answer, if they agree with President Trump that these people -- many of them women and children, and the vast majority of them much better human beings than our President -- are "animals". And if they agree with tearing young children -- by definition innocent -- from their parents to be warehoused in actual warehouses on military bases. Yes, I think deplorable was the wrong word...not strong enough.
153
Thank god nobody actually called them animals..
1
One of these days, and I hope it's very soon, these words and phrases will not be associated with The President of The United States:
Ranted
Lashed out
Railed
Miscontrued
Ridiculed
Tweetstorm
Porn star payoff
Miss President Obama much?
151
I am a Democrat, and I admit to missing W by comparison to Trump.
W was a loser who lied us into disastrous wars, and presided over a meltdown of the economy.
Trump is worse.
8
How about talking about possibilities for discussion with Mexico leaders, businessmen on both sides, and all the companies in the US from CA to TX to other states where hard-working Mexicans have found work? The constant ridiculous and childish rants about immigrants is a reminder of the bombastic man who currently occupies the office of the president of the US. He really is not fit for this position. He has turned this office into his version of a reality show.
49
This is his entire political purpose - to preserve white priviledge in America by stomping on all those who are not white. That is why his followers look the other way at his criminality and corruption. If they can't have a white ruled America, they are ready to burn it all down.
94
It could be worse. Trump could have called half of the US citizens deplorable and declared that they need to be confined. Or he could have ordered the execution of citizens without arrest and due process. Or he could have labeled minorities "super predators". Chill out and look on the bright side all you negative nellies. It could be worse, it has been worse and not a peep was to be heard.
3
The only thing that would be worse would be MORE of Trump. Don’t get too comfy—November is coming.
3
Un, There are things worse than trump. One of them being the presidential power to bypass the court system. Thus far trump has not done that but the precedent has been set. As for being comfortable with trump, you should not be so presumptuous. After all i am merely pointing out the truth. Oddly enough, I get the same criticism from the left and the right so I suspect I am pretty much spot on. No political party or candidate makes me comfortable because I realize that they are all about power and not the people. To feel otherwise is a sure sign of uneducated naïveté. Cheers!
Why is this racial? Are animals a certain race?
Illegal immigration needs to be stopped.
22
BB - Well Christians would argue that humans have an immortal soul, and that God commanded humans to rule over animals. But my guess is that they’ll figure out a way to wriggle out from that logic and side with you on this one. I don’t though.
Thanks for your questions!
1.) That's not the claim the article is making (he's not making a racial claim he's dehumanizing via the rhetoric he's using,) and
2.) Comparisons to animals have been used for centuries to dehumanize groups of people (racial, religious, political etc.) for the purposes of politically and culturally marginalizing them.
Yes, illegal immigration needs to be stopped, but this isn't how we'll do it.
2
I'm dismayed you either don't know or refuse to know the difference here. He is equating HUMAN BEINGS with animals. In other words, de-humanizing them. That's a disturbing and dangerous road to go down, as we've seen throughout history.
1
So frustrated and sick of this!! He was speaking of the MS 13 gang members. I listened to the whole conversation. Folks who trust this source would do well to explore further the "news" you are being fed. Talk about divisive hate-mongers...hello New York Times. Liberals are being played..
35
Even if he was speaking only about MS 13, he could have used the same words for the white supremacists at Charlottesville. Instead he calls them or some of them "nice people". Of course, they are white, therefore they are not animals. But brown people are the animals, no matter how many bad things a white person can do. To his eyes only brown and black people can be the animals. That is totally racist. And that is totally out of line for a president of this or any country. Never heard a president using such remarks. So not, we are not being played.
3
I don't give a hang who he was speaking about. To objectify any human being as an "animal" is a dismissive tactic that has zero place in a presidential administration.
5
This is a very bad lie from the Times. Worse was their twitter feed -- there they called it "calling undocumented immigrants" animals, not "some" as in the headline here. Even violent gang members are human, so maybe calling anyone an animal is bad, but the Times should report what he says and not misrepresent it.
3
Same thing is happening over in Israel. Criminal leader has heat of an investigation on his back, so he plays the existential card. The bad things are at the castle walls, be very afraid, but I will protect you.
12
Racist and evil comments, from our illigitametly elected president. Thank goodness for term limits.
Will our country ever recover from the damage he is doing?
29
Could you please explain how calling violent gang members "animals" is evil and racist?
How was the election illegitimate specifically?
2
Locks,
It is evil and racist because Trump is evil and racist. It is called a dog whistle.
The election was illegitimate because Trump lost and yet the antebellum institution meant to appease slave owners, aka the Electoral College, installed Trump against the will of the people. My vote should count as much as yours, but it doesn't.
Yep. That's what I expected, Locks, crickets.
The immigrants trying to come into the country are not animals. You’re a racist “president” and a disgrace to our country. You don’t belong in the Oval Office.
78
People trying to break our immigration laws aren't immigrants. It is not racist to tell them to stay home.
3
Mr. Trump is clearly coming unhinged. It used to be that one would hear a public figure display such virulent racism and such defiant ignorance.
Governor Brown’s response sums it up very well.
Now it will be on to demanding that Congress tax all of us to build Trump’s Wall. Trump’s latest diatribe suggests that we call that ‘wall’ what it really would be, a gigantic, multi-billion dollar SPITE FENCE.
20
Trump is not even a good enough piece of excrement to grace the bottom of my shoe.
30
We see Trump-inspired hatred every day in the news. Black-hearted minions confronting immigrants in public settings openly and shamelessly.
Now the country is at a crossroads. Is this the United States we want?
Stay tuned and VOTE!
23
Thank you Jerry Brown! I'm so glad I live in California where our 'leader' has some common sense.
44
Once again misrepresentation by a biased NYT's. You left out the part about illegal immigrant "gang members". The president reference was not to all illegal immigrants, just the gang members like MS-13 (https://www.dailywire.com/news/30748/animals-heres-how-unethical-mainstr...
33
Again, besides the point. Inflammatory language by the President is always going to get press. And BTW MS13 is NOT a Mexican gang but a Salvadorian gang that victimizes mexico (MS13 is an outgrowth of Regan era intervention is Central America - ask Oliver North who sold drugs in the basement of the White House to fund an illegal war AKA “Iran Contra” look it up - FACT). This is not an abuse BY the press, it’s an abuse OF the press. TRUMP = TRAITOR
6
Well, at least the Times is now call the illegals “unauthorized” rather than “ undocumented”.
4
So therefore, is it ok to label some human beings "animals" because they are gang members? It is never ok to dehumanize people, no matter who they are or what they have done. That is only the first step in dehumanizing another group, and then another group, and then another. And just to be clear, MS13 was created in United States prisons- young men and women who came here with their families fleeing wars in Central America, in large part funded by the United States, living in displaced communities in terrible poverty. Then these young people were deported back to Central America.
57
Actually, the most dangerous person in America sits, the times he is not on the golf course or checking his line of credit, is Mr. Trump.
19
Okay, I despise Trump as much as the next sane person, but this headline is incredibly misleading. He was speaking specifically about MS-13, not "unauthorized immigrants" in general.
The full quote, in context:
Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims: "Thank you. There could be an MS-13 member I know about -- if they don’t reach a certain threshold, I cannot tell ICE about it."
President Trump: "We have people coming into the country, or trying to come in -- and we’re stopping a lot of them -- but we’re taking people out of the country. You wouldn’t believe how bad these people are. These aren’t people. These are animals. And we’re taking them out of the country at a level and at a rate that’s never happened before. And because of the weak laws, they come in fast, we get them, we release them, we get them again, we bring them out. It’s crazy."
You need to do better, NY Times. We're actively counting on you, and this kind of tactic harms your credibility.
48
What are you talking about??
Read the article carefully. Here is a quote, in full:
He exhorted his administration to “do much better” in keeping out undesirable people, including members of transnational gangs like MS-13.
“We have people coming into the country, or trying to come in — we’re stopping a lot of them,” Mr. Trump said in the Cabinet Room during an hourlong meeting that reporters were allowed to document. “You wouldn’t believe how bad these people are. These aren’t people, these are animals, and we’re taking them out of the country at a level and at a rate that’s never happened before.”
5
Well stated, Amy. Thank you.
4
That's a fair point Amy but Trump has wallowed down with so many of his own "animals" that he doesn't get the benefit of the doubt.
If we accept that MS-13 are animals...Trump should also be talking about the "animals" spewing hatred and conspiracy at the NRA.
Lot's of animals getting support from Trump.
5
So is the New York Times Pro MS-13? He was refeering to the gangs. Look at the types of thing these gang members do and tell me they dont act like animals. What about the MS-13 female gang member who just plead guilty for killing a 15 yr old girl in Virginia?? So it hurts your feelings he’s refeering to people like this as animals?
34
It doesn't hurt my feelings that the President of the United States refers to any group of people as animals. No, it offends me to the core of my being. No human being warrants being called that.
I find our President's words and reflections simply unacceptable. His demonizing and dehumanizing of immigrants is unworthy of America and its values. Indeed, his barbarian attitudes are unacceptable in civilized society, no matter the country. His values are simply repugnant.
5
I guess no progress on Chinese trade talks means the president has to re-direct attention to the usual anti-immigrant rhetoric that pleases people in Ohio and Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Our tough-talking trade-negotiator-in-chief is flailing while the trade balance continues to balloon. I thought a trade war was easy to win! Sad!
24
Mr. Trump has been using his position to spew this type of deplorable bigoted rhetoric and gin up the worst of human nature in this country ever since he took office.
This November 6, American voters need to send a message to every level of our government: we will not stand for this and we are better than this. Bigotry has become a partisan issue, if that wasn't obvious previously. Vote Democratic and vote out the bigots.
9
Good to see the NYT defending MS-13 and equating them to all immigrants. It would be nice if you offered the question asked of Trump which directly referenced the gang, but that might be mistaken for reportage.
Side note to James: The term 'alien' has been in use for about 600 years. It has a very obvious 'not of us' connotation and every society/tribe has a similar term.
35
Pretty sure he was referring to MS 13. What did Hillary call similar thugs? Super Predators?
15
Why doesn't the NYT provide some analysis of statements like:
"He alluded to a recent push by his administration that parents be separated from their children when families cross illegally into the United States, but blamed Democrats — many of whom have vehemently opposed the practice — for the new policy.
“I know what you’re going through right now with families is very tough, but those are the bad laws that the Democrats gave us,” Mr. Trump said. “We have to break up families. The Democrats gave us that law.”"
NYT: No explanation of what might be behind his claim in that last sentence? No discussion? You know, reporting is supposed to follow the 5 W's rule:
Who? (Well, we got that.)
What? (Ditto)
Where? (Yes.)
When? (Also got that.)
Why? (MISSING!! Put out an APB!)
9
Our president frequently claims to be the best at things. Nobody has ever done it so well. We've never seen success like this. But the one thing he is best at is degrading the dignity of the office of the President of the United States. And consequently he harms our country in every way.
9
I fear this is more of the Times' spin.
Other reports have it that the president was referring to MS-13. Dwelling on the fact that "animal", in one sense, means something subhuman, is totally beside the point. In that event, those who refer to the president as an orangutan, or W as "Chimp", are engaged in an atrocity.
"Animal", in this context, simply means someone whose behavior defies civilized norms, who is beyond the pale. (Witty Times commenters will insert a reference to Trump here). And MS-13 qualifies.
Besides, as an animal lover, I resent these peaceful creatures being compared to a murderous international syndicate.
25
You are correct correct that he was referring to MS-13 as I read the transcript below. In my opinion, this should have been unambiguously clear from the first paragraph of the article. Our republic needs a media that id straight with us.
From: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-...
"SHERIFF MIMS: Thank you. There could be an MS-13 member I know about — if they don’t reach a certain threshold, I cannot tell ICE about it.
THE PRESIDENT: We have people coming into the country, or trying to come in — and we’re stopping a lot of them — but we’re taking people out of the country. You wouldn’t believe how bad these people are. These aren’t people. These are animals. ..."
3
The comment was in the context of MS-13. See quote from transcript below.
From: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-...
"SHERIFF MIMS: Thank you. There could be an MS-13 member I know about — if they don’t reach a certain threshold, I cannot tell ICE about it.
THE PRESIDENT: We have people coming into the country, or trying to come in — and we’re stopping a lot of them — but we’re taking people out of the country. You wouldn’t believe how bad these people are. These aren’t people. These are animals. ..."
26
Hey John, if the quote was taken out of context, that's too bad but Trump has worn out so many dog whistles that he doesn't get the benefit of the doubt.
MS-13 is a plague on society yes, but so is Trump and Trump is more dangerous.
7
Trump has faults, I agree. It is important that they be reported in context otherwise we loose trust in our media.
To me, part of quality reporting is including relevant facts with appropriate prominence. I believe MS-13 was mentioned in the article. I would have liked it to be clear that the "animal" comment may have been exclusively directed at MS-13.
1
There is no other word to describe the language used by the current President of the United States but disgraceful.
9
I guess doing better means cracking more of the foundation upon which our country was founded?
Trump's policies are so poorly aimed. By focusing so myopically on immigration instead of actually helping citizens find and become trained for the new jobs/industries.technologies that are inexorably coming, he does nothing to help his base.
When will people realize this racist invective harms everyone?
3
Hey republicans in Congress - do you realize you are permitted - I would say obligated - to use your voice and speak out when such venomous comments are made by a president, regardless of his party? These are the same representatives who criticized President Obama for sometimes not wearing a tie in the Oval Office. That was considered "demeaning." What does that make the current officeholder? An animal?
4
Surely you have access to the transcripts from this meeting. Trump was clearly referring to the members of MS-13 when he said, "animals." Knowing some people that were in gangs, I can say that was actually a very generous comment. Try to do your homework before you spread the hate.
16
What don't you call a spade a spade and call him a racist??
6
because calling violent criminals animals is not racist?
5
There is truly no bigger animal then the one that sits in the oval office.
Why has this president chosen to use fear and hatred as the basis of his term?
The country has had immigrants coming into it since the 1500's which has played a great role in our diversity as a nation.
We should not be fearing or hating those that want to join us but welcoming them to make this nation a better place and to show the world a truly great America.
7
There's only a short walk from labeling people as animals to labeling them for extermination.
11
If Trump called immigrants animals in a press conference, is it any surprise one of his staff referred to Senator John McCain as "dying anyways"? I wonder what slurs they have said in meetings that haven't leaked.
Trump has no value for human life. He thinks it is a good thing as punishment to separate children from their parents? IMO, he probably looked at the massacre of Palestians as a necessary thing, "kill at will". This is also the person who thinks torture is a great thing.
We have a monster as a POTUS of this country. He does not stand for or respect the ideals that this country was founded on. It has become clear he has leveraged the position since day one for personal profit. He took an oath to uphold the office and he has failed and led this country down an ugly path. Why have legislators not spoken out loudly against him? Why have legislators not tried to inhibit his actions?
If any person is to be called an animal, Trump is. He has no respect for life or humanity. This is chilling! How can the GOP support such a monster?
257
He didn't call immigrants "animals." He called MS-13 members animals.
5
He called gang members animals. I can think of few things worse than invading our society and engaging in criminal behavior.
5
Trump IS the face of this Republican Party at this time, those who vote for him and stand by him are now THE face of this current Republican party. Make no mistake, we are looking at 30-40 percent of our citizenry who have no idea what Democracy looks like. I'm very concerned.
9
Sorry, Con Don. The animals are you and your Robber Baron brethren - the International Mafia - who are trying to destroy OUR United States of America.
Bullies always pick on those they deem to be the weakest. Every "unauthorized immigrant" is one million times braver than the financial elite. Think of the elements they faced by trying to have a better life.
Of course, drug dealers and criminals should be ferreted out and imprisoned but that doesn't seem to be where The Con Don's interest is. His interest is simply to try to keep us all in chaos as they try to destroy OUR government.
The real answer is to fine and imprison any person who hires an immigrant who doesn't have right-to-work papers. The Con Don would have been in jail years ago.
71
In the way Trump spoke those words, he showed no thought, logic, or understanding; he only showed extreme rage. The way he spits out words and contorts his face shows the deep racial animus this man lives with and that his base is in thrall of. Rage and animus define the man.
Personally, when I think of someone as an animal, it's the type of person who would approach a woman and grab her genitals. No person who acts so solely on his narcissistic rage should be making decisions for anyone else.
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Oh stop! You didn’t hear him and it’s apparent that you did not read what he actually said. You know only what the Times has told you, and that happens to be a piece of biased pap intentionally crafted to fit the left’s favorite narrative. Trump was specifically referring to MS-13 gangsters. Read the transcript....
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Marcus Aurelius - You spend a lot of time on a publication you have so much contempt for. Why is that?
Any one who has heard one of Trump's rambling, deranged speeches isn't surprised by this news.
The first step to genocide is convincing your base that a group is subhuman.
Dehumanising these people has been a long and troubling trend. Even the term illegal alien has the obvious not-of-this-world connotation and is used for that very reason.
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Newly arrived immigrants are shouldering a lot of the dirty work in this country,as they always have,and the haters would do well to shut up and acknowledge the facts. Listening to this lying,mean spirited hypocrite makes me nauseous.
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I suppose the next step is to amend the Internal Revenue Code, which makes much of the term "alien". It is actually a very useful term, but that never stopped the people who have banished "niggardly" from the English language.
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Except that he was ONLY referring to MS-13 Members, and SPECIFICALLY mentioned them. Don't believe the spin that the NYT is putting on it. Watch the actual videos. ALL of the video, not just the inflammatory cuts that the NYT and other such media posts.
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