President Donald Trump on Tuesday continued to fume over the “caravans” of migrants making their way north from Central America, this time threatening foreign aid to Honduras if the flow of migrants attempting to flee the country is not stopped.
The tweet is the latest in a string of anti-immigrant tweets first launched on Sunday that reference the roughly 1,000 Central American migrants heading north—some to seek asylum in the US or Mexico—and call international attention to the dangers of their journey. As the New York Times reports, the march is a relatively regular occurrence that picks up around Easter Sunday.
But this year, with the help of Fox News, Trump has turned the event into a flashpoint for the immigration debate.
The big Caravan of People from Honduras, now coming across Mexico and heading to our “Weak Laws” Border, had better be stopped before it gets there. Cash cow NAFTA is in play, as is foreign aid to Honduras and the countries that allow this to happen. Congress MUST ACT NOW!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 3, 2018
Not lost in the Tuesday tirade was Trump’s ongoing attacks on the “fakers” in the media. He also defended the pro-Trump local news giant, Sinclair Broadcasting, against mounting criticism over a video that shows its local news anchors across the nation reading from the same corporate-mandated “fake news”-bashing script. He ended the morning tweets—for now—by debuting a new disparaging nickname for former President Barack Obama to tout a favorable poll. Many on social media questioned Trump’s judgment in using “cheatin” to describe his predecessor amid two highly public lawsuits from women who allege they had affairs with the president.
Thank you to Rasmussen for the honest polling. Just hit 50%, which is higher than Cheatin’ Obama at the same time in his Administration.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 3, 2018