PHOENIX — Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump criticized U.S. immigration and trade policies on Saturday in speeches that veered from accusing Mexico of deliberately sending criminals across the border to professing respect for the Mexican government and love for its people.
Speaking to a gathering of Libertarians in Las Vegas before headlining an event in Phoenix, Trump repeated his charge that Mexico was sending violent offenders to the U.S. to harm Americans and that U.S. officials were being “dumb” in dealing with immigrants in the country illegally.
“These people wreak havoc on our population,” he told a few thousand people attending the Libertarian gathering FreedomFest on the Las Vegas Strip.
In the 4,200-capacity Phoenix convention center packed with flag-waving supporters, Trump took a different view — for a moment — and said: “I love the Mexican people. I love ’em. Many, many people from Mexico are legal. They came in the old-fashioned way. Legally.”
He quickly returned to the sharp tone that has brought him scorn and praise. “I respect Mexico greatly as a country. But the problem we have is their leaders are much sharper than ours, and they’re killing us at the border and they’re killing us on trade.”
His speeches in both venues were long on insults aimed at critics and short on solutions to the problems he cited. When he called for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, the audience in Las Vegas groaned.
In a break from the immigration rhetoric that has garnered him condemnation and praise, Trump asserted that he would have more positive results in dealing with China and Russia if he were president and said he could be pals with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Arizona’s tough-on-immigration Sheriff Joe Arpaio introduced Trump in Phoenix after outlining the things he and the candidate have in common. He went on to criticize the federal government for what he called a revolving door for immigrants, saying many of them end up in his jails.
A single protester outside the room where Trump spoke in Las Vegas was more concerned about the businessman being tied to the Libertarian Party. “I’ve been a Libertarian for 43 years and Trump ain’t no Libertarian,” said Linda Rawles.
