From PBS NewsHour.
President Donald Trump announced he was launching a “war on fraud,” led by Vice President JD Vance, during his State of the Union Tuesday.
The president said that, with that effort, the U.S. “will actually have a balanced budget overnight.” He claimed Somali immigrants, whom he has disparaged in the past, have “pillaged an estimated $19 billion from the American taxpayer.” It’s not clear what his source was for that figure.
A federal investigation, that began under former President Joe Biden, is underway to probe fraud allegations into Somali-run daycares in Minnesota.
“The Somali pirates who ransacked Minnesota remind us that there are large parts of the world where bribery, corruption and lawlessness are the norm, not the exception,” Trump said. “Importing these cultures through unrestricted immigration and open borders brings those problems right here to the USA.”
Trump’s address comes after 13 months of break-neck deregulation, a record number of executive actions, mass layoffs, aggressive immigration tactics and more.
Ahead of the speech, Trump was expected to outline his administration’s accomplishments, make his case for keeping his party in power this November and celebrate the 250th anniversary of America’s independence.
At the same time, a number of pain points have threatened to overshadow Trump’s positive messages during his primetime speech.
On Friday, the Supreme Court delivered a major setback to Trump’s agenda when it struck down his sweeping tariffs. A partial government shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, brought on by Democratic opposition to Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement, seems to have no end in sight. And questions about the Jeffrey Epstein investigation continue to dog his administration.
According to the latest PBS News/NPR/ Marist poll, 60% of Americans say the country is worse off compared to a year ago, while 40% believe the country is in better shape.
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