>> nice to see you, sara. thanks very much. i really appreciate it. thanks so much for joining me. "inside politics" with the one, the only john king starts right now. thank you, kate. welcome to "inside politics." i'm john king. thank you for sharing your day with us. the white house is defiant but facing a growing public revolt at its policy of separating families at the border. china up in arms. the president says he's considering another $2 billion in tariffs with china. do you agree that we need to take care of those children? >> we are taking care of those children. your tax dollars -- i appreciate that you're critical of the

leadership in this country, but where the hell is the leadership in honduras, guatemala and el salvador. where are those presidents? >> we begin today right there, a big bipartisan revolt against the trump white house just as the president prepares to make a rare visit to capitol hill. lawmakers across the spectrum can't escape the words and the images of children separated from their parents at the nation's southern border. the government tells us that since mid-april, more than 2,000 children have been separated from their parents or guardians. it is part of what the white house calls its new zero tolerance policy. and the president's morning tweets are again defiant, stoking a fight most of his party doesn't want. the president keeps blaming the democrats, but this is his policy. >> mr. president, you should fix it. but if you don't want to change this cruel policy, at least admit that it is your decision. blaming others falsely is cheap,

easy and dishonest. a cheap way out. >> the president also says if lawmakers want to change the policy, they need to strike a big deal with him on a big immigration package. that is why the president heads off to capitol hill later today, to talk immigration policy with house republicans. but the odds have a big deal for longer than long. and some republicans are warning the white house if it doesn't stop separating families, they will pass a narrow law and f forbid the practice. >> i think congress can only change the underlying problem, but they can pick up the phone and change the policy. it's not all the democrats' fault. this is a problem a long time -- in 2014 we had this same problem. the problem is neither party has been able to come together to fix it. i've tried a bunch. now it's president trump's chance. he's president, not obama. i think there is a deal to be had. >> cnn's phil mattingly live on

capitol hill. phil, a very different tone and tenor for this meeting we thought would be about a big immigration package that now seems to be about the anger of separating families. >> reporter: there's no question about it, john. uneasy is probably the way to describe lawmakers right now. when the president comes to the capitol, he will be visiting basically a place that has become totally enveloped by this issue, by this crisis, by lawmakers on both sides trying to figure out a way out of it. the most interesting element right now that's going on is the fact there is no clear path forward. when you talk to lawmakers, they say both republican and democrat, the president can stop this on their own. they have been given no sign by the white house publicly or privately or in staff briefings or messages they've received that the white house is going to change direction any time soon. where does that leave things? as you know, the president is going to talk about a broad immigration mostly related to daca effort that's occurring on the house floor later this week. the family separation issue has now been combined with that.

this is a confluence of two baf basically different issues that have crashed into one another, are very emotional and at this point has no bipartisan support. ted cruz has a bill. koi cornyn has a bill, diane feinstein has a bill. they don't have a sense from the white house that they want a targeted approach to this. they have continued to push for a broader approach. at this moment, what the house is doing is purely a partisan effort. there is no effort in the senate right now to match that and no democrats that will support any of the house legislations moving through on the off chance that it actually passes. so where does that leave things? well, the president is is com co the capitol with a lot more questions than answers and a lot more riled lawmakers that are not on his side, john. >> phil mattingly at the white

house. phil, appreciate it. rachel bayne with politico, jeff zeleny and anthony pardi withpa. senator hatch sending a message to the president. will this get anywhere? >> about 24 hours ago or so, they were keeping a loose list of republicans speaking out against this. now that list is so long, it's essentially who isn't speaking out against it? so i think the sense that the white house is, you know, believes that it is a good issue in some respects for them or it was a good negotiating issue has, in fact, become a disaster. read the "wall street journal" editorial this morning, read the new york post editorial yesterday.

when you have folks like orrin hatch and others, people who support the president and want the president to do good things, publicly they haven't blinked. i asked sarah sanders in a briefing last evening if the president would be willing to simply sign something that would deal with this. she said he doesn't want a band-aid approach, he wants his wall. >> he could just call the justice department and say, stop. >> we'll see what happens at that house conference meeting this afternoon. blinking, i don't know. but legislation, absolutely. >> we'll see why republicans are getting more upset about this. you see the volume going up day after day. it's an election year. they don't like the policy, they also don't like the politics. the president always says, i'm right, you're wrong. a conservative guy who has been with the president, whether we're talking about bob mueller,

whether we're talking about obamacare, has been with the president. >> hopefully that will give us a path forward where democrats and republicans can come together and endorse a piece of legislation that deals with this issue at our border. >> do you have a sense that the white house actually supports a stand-alone bill to deal with this? >> really, at this point it's more a legislative action. i think the administration has said that. it's up to congress to act on this particular thing. >> someone help me with the odds on that? again, mark meadows disagrees with this policy, but he says as of now he's leaving the white house talking to our abby phillip, they want a package. the odds being negative what that congress can agree on an immigration package? >> oftentimes when you talk about immigration on the hill, it doesn't take more than five seconds for people to add more and more pieces. they want to fix this, but then they want to increase money for border enforcement, then we want a solution for daca. it's really tough for lawmakers just to do a solution.

that being said, it's clear from rsponses on the hill unlike when the president ended daca, he said, come to me with an immigration bill. i'll fix daca and help the dreamers. republicans are more uncomfortable with this, even more so than when he ended daca. that pressure is going to keep increasing. i know republican leaders, paul ryan and his team right now, are trying to keep a proposal to fix this in a bigger immigration package because the president wants it to get his wall, to get these other things -- >> the president wants it, forgive me for interrupting, but will they stand up to him? they're writing op-eds, they're issuing statements. they are varying degrees of optimism, but some are saying it's cruel, some are saying it's immoral, some will say it has to stop. will they say that when they're in a room with the president of the united states and they may say, i'll bring a bill to the floor that everyone wants, but

he needs to stop this. >> this is someone who really understands how trump's mind works and the language he used was similar to what the white house said, shifting the blame on congress, saying this is a legislative issue. i think there is a soft approach that some of the republicans the president actually listens to could take in approaching him this evening. there are also those moderate republicans who are pretty fed up and know this could cost them in november, so they may take a different tact as well. >> there is a conflicting interest right now with house republicans, and that will be evident in this meeting. they need the president to back this immigration bill if they have any prayer at passing it. so why would they press him and say, mr. president, you're doing a terrible thing. stop this. they just won't do that because they need him for cover to pass this bill. >> if they can pass that bill. >> right. >> and i think the confusing message from white house about why they've adopted this policy is a big problem for house republicans. they look to the president and

to the administration for guidance. and that's not all that unusual. it's sort of the way that house majorities work when that same party is the president. the problem here is that clearly, the white house was not prepared with any sort of unified message on this, so what are they supposed to say except their constituents are seeing these images, hearing these terrible sounds and are outraged. they're responding to what their own constituents are likely telling them. >> again, the president's instincts, which have been right a lot, which is one of the reasons he sticks with them. he said, i did this in the primaries, i would not be stuck with this legislation, so he doesn't want to budge but you see pieces of the coalition breaking away. ted cruz is ahead in his race in texas by 15 points. seems a little nervous. a conservative christian leader in iowa has a picture of the president in his office, taking

issue with jeff sessions using biblical references to respond to this. the nuclear family, where children are raised, is a more fundamental social unit than a nation. the government has no right to place a national border between a parent and a child. we can have justice with mercy. it is possible to be tough on illegal immigration without being cruel to illegal immigrants. parts of the trump base don't like to see them. >> no question at all. i cannot think of one sector of the trump base that hasn't really risen up an objection to this. your evangelicals, your chamber of commerce, your tea party voters. but i think that does not mean that the president will get an earful tonight. remember when the president went to the senate in the wake of the criticism of john mccain? all this talk of he's going to get an earful. he didn't. when the president goes to visit someone, it's much like he's at a campaign rally in a small room of the house. a room with low ceilings in the

base of the capitol. he filibusters most of that time. in the end there is room for a question or two. i think that's one of the reasons he's not going to get a ton of questions. that doesn't mean people aren't upset and looking for a way out. >> who will stand up and say, sir, here is the math on our seats. it's bad politics. if you want to keep the majority, who will stand up and say, next year this will be democrats. democrats will have the gavel if you don't help us. we need your help. >> some parts of the white house actually believe the opposite. this maybe reflects their own views about the fact they don't have much else to galvanize their base with ahead of the midterms. >> what about that tax cut? >> exactly. it shows they don't have a lot of faith in that tax cut, really pulling the house republicans across the finish line. >> 55% of the republicans back this proposal, as surprising as it is.

>> i think we should keep in mind that was done before this really reached this fever pitch, before people talked about this at services on sunday, et cetera. >> plus it's a national poll. it's a midterm election year. in presidential years we don't say look at the national polls, look at the electoral college. look at those 20 or 30 house districts that will decide. quick break. when we come back, the united states and china keep tariff threats against each other. global markets don't like trade wars.

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the trade adviser peter navarro telling reporters that the president was a visionary, quote, with a special kind of courage. the president now threatening to slap china with tariffs on $2 billion amount of goods. today china's response more than firm saying they don't want to fight a trade war but they're not scared of one. we advise the u.s. side to return to reason, and stop words and actions that harm itself and others. this is the only way. allis allison kosich joining us from the floor of ttrade floor. >> it shows just how nervous investors are how this war of

the trade is going to work out. president trump said he would slap a 25% tariff on china exports. china quickly said it would retaliate, placing tariffs on high value american goods like pork, soybeans, cars and crude oil. then it says if china goes ahea place an additional $2 billion on trade. they want to wrap this up, but it seems to be going on and on, especially since that $50 billion worth of tariffs on chinese goods is expected to take effect on july 6. the worry is, of course, the market that you are seeing, the dow lost all of its gains for the year as we sit 295 points lower. john. >> allison kosik on the floor.

let's bring it back to the studio. again, here's an issue just like immigration we just talked about. most of the president's party said mr. president would think you're wrong. financial markets reacting in a way saying, mr. president, we don't think this is wise. the president says, i trust my instincts and you were on this call with peter navarro today, correct? >> i was. >> i was reading some of the quotes from him. clearly he's playing to an audience of one. he has the president's ear right now and they seem quite determined. $200 billion more. that's picking a fight. >> no question it's picking a fight. the president is going to be traveling to duluth, minnesota for an election rally. it's being sponsored by his election campaign and this is the conundrum that will be unfolding in one state. senators' races, governors' races, house races. but peter navarro said this morning that the president is going to duluth to talk to steel workers and bring back jobs to

the iron range. that's a classic part of the american sector that has had a decline over the years, no question. he'll be talking about that, but at the same time soybean farmers in the state of minnesota. pork producers, beef producers are freaked out about this quite frankly, about what this is going to do to their market. tomorrow essentially playing out in one state, a purple state essentially. it used to be blue, but not necessarily now. this is where his policies will be on the ballot in the midterm election here. so it worked for him in 2016. we'll see about now, though, because there are a lot of red state voters who frankly are worried about this. it's the classic argument, manufacturing versus other sectors of the economy. it's a real one with a new focus. >> the president thinks he's right, and if there is a hit in the financial markets and if there is a hit in some sectors, it will be temporary. by the time 2020 rolls around, he can say, i was right. if your issue is you're a republican on the ballot in

november, china tariffs on soybeans could cost iowa farmers $624 million. the tariff on lobster has maine's industry on edge. auto tariffs would raise prices, cost jobs. they say don't do this to us, and the political office led by the president seems much more focused on the longer term. >> there was an interesting reaction from gary cohn speaking to the "washington post." an old peter navarro rival in the white house, who suggested that a trade war could undo the benefits of the tax cuts. again, we talked about this earlier. republicans don't have much to run on. those tax cuts and the economic benefits that they can say come from that could be wiped out. i think that's something that republicans are very concerned about. on the other hand, this is the view that the president has. peter navarro and president

trump are sympatico on the overall good of tariffs. tariffs can be good while we have a test case apparently developing right now. >> peter navarro, descendant. he's lost these arguments just like gary cohn, his predecessor, did. the secretary of state, mike pompeo. his job is not to do trade policy but he does have to sit down with his international counterparts. he says this is a fight we have to fight. >> we're taking a really hard line on foreign practices that harm america. everybody knows china is the main perpetrator. it's an unprecedented level of larceny. i was with president xi on thursday night. i reminded him that that's not fair competition. but it's a joke. let's be clear. it's the most predatory economic

government that operates against the rest of the world today. >> he's right. he's right. this is a problem that needs to be dealt with, and the question is, and people are debating, is trade war the right way to do it? should do you it in negotiations? their answer is china won't move until you show them you're willing to push. the question is what's the political impact? >> republicans do want the administration to push back on china. but when it comes to slapping tariffs on goods coming from our u.s. allies, that makes them really uncomfortable. there is a tricky balance that the administration has to strike between penalizing china and escalating into a trade war, and it seems like we are 100% escalating into a trade war. i don't know what the white house expected. if they're going to crack down on china, china is going to crack down on us and it's just going to keep going until the economy straightens out. >> kim jong-un is meeting with president xi in china. the u.s. needs china's help with

north korea. everything is linked. >> the president thinks -- again, he trusts his instincts -- he thinks china is the bully. the only way to get the bully's attention is to hit the bully. you can't talk to the bully, you have to hit the bully. the cost that some americans will pay because of the president's zero tolerance policy, coming up. ♪ i love you applebee's 2 for $20, now with steak. now that's eatin' good in the neighborhood.

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welcome back. we know the president trusts his instincts on immigration policy, but more and more republicans worry that he doesn't understand that their politics are very different than his. many think separating families is wrong, even cruel. but also because they see the numbers, meaning public opinion back home, and worry about their november election odds. let's look. this is the current map of the house of representatives, the entire country here. these are the races cnn views as most competitive in the battle for the house. republicans hold it now, democrats think they can take it back. look at all these red districts that are in play this year,

viewed as very kpcompetitive rit now. some of them down along the border. others won by hillary clinton in the presidential election. a lot of them in the suburbs where suburban women don't like this policy. what republicans are telling the president is, this isn't about 2020. maybe that's how you view it, be tough on immigration? let's say you're will hurd. you're down here in the border of texas. you're saying, mr. president, bad idea. i could get beat. >> when they made this decision of zero tolerance, what did they think was going to happen? because we haven't seen a decrease in illegal immigration coming into our country. what i'm seeing on the ground is the exact opposite. i'm seeing on the ground people that are appalled by this, people that have been republicans all their lives, independents as well, so i can't speak to any of the national polling, but i do know in the 23rd congressional district of texas, the supermajority of people believe this is something that shouldn't be happening and shouldn't be continuing. >> and again, the question is,

will the president listen? will the president be swayed when he's told tonight, this could help us lose our majority. we need your help, mr. president. >> they might say so privately, but i think in a full meeting with republicans where a lot of this is going to get leaked to the press, i'm really skeptical they're going to push back on this, even though they are really, really worried. >> wasn't there one brave soul not afraid to stand up and speak? >> you're right. in the swing state for republicans, this is a huge problem for them. migrant kids in cages. that's going to be terrible for them if they're coming from a swing district that has a heavy hispanic population. not only that, you mentioned suburban moms. they're hearing reports in coverage about kids being taken from their mother. that is really going to strike a chord in their heart and it's going to cause issues. >> the policy is unpopular, but look at the numbers here. first the president's approval

rating. among all americans, the president's approval rating is 39% in the new cnn poll. disapproval, 54%. look at college educated women. only 22% approve of the president. now let's go to the zero tolerance policy. only 28% approve, 67% disapprove. but look at college-educated women. 20% approve, 77% disapprove. if you're a republican in a suburban district, college-educated women or key constituency, you already know they don't like this president. now they hate this policy and you're saying help. >> one argument that could work with the president, because we know he's about self-preservation at the end of the day. if you make the case, and we know he's getting more concerned about democrats taking the house because of potential threat of impeachment. so that's the case some aides could make to the president and say, we need these suburban women, we need these vulnerable house republicans to actually win their elections so that democrats don't take over and start hurting your agenda and

also potentially getting into the process of impeachment. >> will he listen is the question. here's a little contrast for you. this is a veteran republican pollster. very smart guy. somehow i don't think putting kids in cages is likely to go over well with suburban moms, said senator ayres, a republican pollster uneasy about running on the culture wars. and then you have the "new york times." you have one party that's in favor of open borders, and you have one party that wants to secure the board. and all day long the american people are going to side with the party that wants to secure the border. and not by a little bit. >> stephen miller spoke about

this in 2013. get enough senators that oppose the reform package. it's different when you face the president. 90-10 just is not reflected in the numbers. if he's able to convince and he has the president's ear on this, what is the president going to do? >> let me stop you to change the subject and die thi do that for reason. the trump campaign manager tweeting this. time to stop obsessions. end the mueller investigation. you can't obstruct something that was phony against you. the ig report gives donald trump the truth to end it all. the campaign manager speaks to the president, right? you're hired to speak to the president? >> he does.

david plough spoke for president obama. these are different times. president trump has made clear he would love to fire jeff sessions, he just hasn't done it for a variety of reasons. will he at some point? i actually think he will at some point. back to the numbers for one second. one thing i'm told by people in the white house, they believe the president can blame a lot of this on congress. just democrats' congress overall. the people with the lowest approval ratings? congress. >> we get back to that conversation. is he thinking about him or is he thinking about them? >> him always. >> they think he doesn't understand, he's the leader of a party now. not just him, he has a party. we'll come back to this conversation. and when we do, on this immigration debate, senator lindsey graham looks to the white house and says the president shouldn't look in the mirror, he should listen to his wife. plaque psoriasis can be relentless.

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today, just like father, just like son. donald trump jr., the eldest son of the president, backed out of a fundraiser next week for george p. bush, son of jeb bush. republican senator james imhoff wants to meet face to face with the embattled chris pruitt at the hill. he faces a dozen allegations, including that he asked staffers to help his bwife find a job. a meeting could happen as early as today. first lady melania clump still more popular than the president. it's down six points from may. roughly the same where hillary clinton was at this time in 1994 during her husband's first term. the first lady melania trump grabbing headlines this week after she weighed in on immigration. she said the u.s. should follow

the law, but do so by governing with heart. the president should listen to her. >> the vast majority in retention are kids who came here with their families. that's the biggest problem. i think americans want two things. they want immigration, but do it with humanity. i think melania said it right. my advice, the president should listen to melania. >> let me go back to the bush story. the feud between the president and the bush family runs deep. now don jr. getting involved. likes george p. george p. campaigned with president trump, candidate trump, in the general election. but the bad blood between the families too much here? >> that's right. we've seen this in the last few days with laura bush's op-ed, then jeb bush tweeting, i spoke to some people associated with

donald trump jr. i spoke with people who think he's a good person, but jeb bush not tweeting anything critical of the president. that was an arrangement that made clear, and when that didn't happen, they were forced to pull out. >> i think it is something nath i guess we'll see play out. one reason george p. bush was also supportive of the president is because he's still in active politics. he's still running for office. he's an elected official in the state of texas. i don't think there is a full-on feud with him. i think he would be worried about that if there was, because it is trump's republican party. it is not the bush republican party regardless of what he might think. >> i have to work in a break here, but still remarkable. the current first lady issuing a statement that was clearly critical of her husband's policy. gently, but clearly critical of her husband's policy. we live in interesting times. up next, an eyebrow-raising answer by the justice

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because as a result of democrats' supported loopholes in our federal laws, most illegal families and minors from central america who arrive unlawfully at the border cannot be detained together or removed together, only released. these are crippling loopholes that cause family separation, which we don't want. as a result of these loopholes, roughly half a million illegal immigrant family units and minors from central america have been released into the united states since 2014 at unbelievably great taxpayer expense. nobody knows how much we're paying for this monstrosity that's been created over the years. legislation that nobody has any idea what they're doing. they don't even know what it means. and you have to see this, it's a mile high.

child smugglers exploit the loopholes and they gain illegal entry into the united states, putting countless children in danger on the perilous trek to the united states. they come up through mexico. mexico does nothing for us. you hear it here. they do nothing for us! they could stop it. they have very, very strong laws. try staying in mexico for a couple of days, see how long that lasts. okay? they do nothing for us, and i see it through nafta. i see it with $100 billion plus that they make on trade through nafta, one of the worst deals ever made by this country. a disaster. and we're trying to equalize it. it's not easy, but we're getting there. it's not easy. we're going to take care of our

american farmers, and beer gowe going to take care of our manufacturers and our manufacturing jobs. but they're making unbelievable amounts of money, and that's not including the drugs that are flowing through our border because we have no wall, and we have no protection. the drugs that are coming in from mexico and through the southern border is disgraceful. so we'll see whether or not we can make a reasonable nafta deal or deal -- it doesn't have to be called nafta. we can do one on one with mexico and one on one with canada. by the way, canada, they like to talk. they're our great neighbor. they fought world war ii with us. we appreciate it. they fought world war i with us, and we appreciate it, but we're protecting each other. there was a story two days ago in a major newspaper talking about people living in canada coming into the united states

and smuggling things back into canada because the tariffs are so massive. the tariffs to get common items back into canada are so high that they have to smuggle them in. they buy shoes, then they wear them. they scuff them up. they make them sound old or look old. no, we're treated horribly. dairy. dairy. 275% tariff. so basically that's a barrier without saying it's a barrier. and i told them if they don't change their ways -- we have a tremendous deficit. people say, well, there's really not that much of a deficit. well, they're not including two things, energy and timber. and those are the two big things when it comes to canada. no, we have to change our ways. we can no longer be the stupid country. we want to be the smart country.

[ cheers and applause ] >> so hopefully we'll be able to work it out with canada. we're in very good relationships with canada. we have for a long time. hopefully that will work out but canada is not going to take advantage of the united states any longer, and mexico is not going to take advantage of the united states any longer. and when i campaigned, i said, i will either renegotiate nafta or i'll terminate it and we'll start from an even base. and people are afraid of that, you know? i've had so many people come up and say, please don't terminate nafta. it's no good. yeah, but we know what we have. it's true, people are worried because they know what they have. i love the american farmer more than anybody. i love the american farmer.

[ applause ] >> and by the way -- i'll tell you in a little while because it's in one of my notes -- the american farmer virtually will not have to pay any more state tax on their farms. when they pass away and they want to leave it to their childr children. and that goes for almost all small businesses, you won't have the estate tax to pay anymore, which was crippling. that was in our bill. [ cheers and applause ] >> i see a young guy standing up. >> you're watching president trump at a small business group having its annual meeting. i mistakenly said this is at the white house. speaking there on a couple issues dominating the headlines right now. number one, talking about families separated at the border. to be clear, his administration set a new policy of zero

tolerance that has led this to happen. yes, there are laws and loopholes on the books, but the administration used its executive powers to act on that, but the president laying the blame elsewhere and again talking about trade. another issue big in the news right now, focusing on his remarks there on canada and mexico at a time when he's in a trade war with them on steel and aluminum issues and also with china. the president says he doesn't want this to happen. he did not give any indication that he can stop. he can pick up the phone and stop it immediately. he gave no indication he's going to do so. >> he said that repeatedly. he said that on friday when he was talking extensively. he said he doesn't like this, he doesn't like the images. but he's not doing anything about it. >> is it he doesn't like the policy or he doesn't like the images? >> he doesn't like the images. but the reality is people who are advising him, like stephen miller and others we talked to are telling him it's worth it, essentially. you need to have zero tolerance,

you need to protect the borders. someone we have not heard about and don't have a full picture of, is there a conversation inside the west wing about this? ivanka trump, senior adviser to the president, took to her father, the president, images of children in syria. that was part of his former decision to strike syria. as far as we know, sheriffs n w involved in this. she was on the west coast. we do not know if the president is hearing dissenting views. >> except for melania trump. her statement was careful, but she was saying we can govern with a heart. he also says mexico does nothing for us. am i mistaken? wasn't it just a few weeks ago when the care vavan was making

way through mexico and they were trying to help us? they do nothing for us. >> the caravan was moving on to the u.s. border, and he said they were acting very strongly, and i think he even said the u.s. should do similar things in protecting its own border. >> going back in. the president returning to the immigration topic. let's listen. >> -- for the federal crime of illegal entry. those are the only two options. totally open borders or criminal prosecution for lawbreaking. and you want to be able to do that. we don't want people pouring into our country. we want them to come in through the process, through the legal system, and we want ultimately a merit-based system where people come in based on merit.

[ cheers and applause ] >> keep in mind those who apply for asylum legally at ports of entry are not prosecuted. the fake news media back there doesn't talk about that. they're fake. they are helping these smugglers and these traffickers like nobody would believe. they know it, they know exactly what they're doing, and it should be stopped. because what's going on is very unfair to the people of our country, and they violate the law. people that come in violate the law, they endanger their children in the process, and frankly, they endanger all of our children. you see what happens with ms-13 where your sons and daughters are attacked violently.

kids that never even heard of such a thing are being attacked violently. not with guns but with knives because it's much more painful. inconceivable -- here we are talking about business -- inconceivable that we even have to talk about ms-13 and other gangs. they attack violently the most painful way possible. and a bullet is too quick. and we're allowing these people into our country? not with me. we're taking them out by the thousands. we're taking them out by the thousands. [ cheers and applause ] >> so what i'm asking congress to do is to give us a third option, which we have been requesting since last year, the legal authority to detain and promptly remove families together as a unit. we have to be able to do this.

this is the only solution to the border crisis. we have to stop child smuggling. this is the way to do it. and ultimately we have to have a real border, not judges. thousands and thousands of judges they want to hire. who are these people? when we vet a single federal judge, if goes through a big process. everybody that's ever met her or him, they come, they complain, they don't complain. they say, she's brilliant, he's brilliant, he's not smart enough to be a judge. now we're hiring thousands and thousands. what country does this? judges. i won't say it. i refuse to say it. i hope they pick that up back there. they won't. seriously, what country does it? they said, sir, we'd like to hire about five or six thousand

more judges. five or six thousand? can you imagine the graft that must take place? you're all small business owners, so i know you can't imagine a thing like that, what happened. here's a guy, they say, can you please be a judge? they line up to be a judge. it's horrible. we don't want judges, we want security on the border. we don't want people coming in. we want them to come in through a legal process like everybody else that's waiting to come in to our country. [ cheers and applause ] >> and it got so crazy that all of these thousands -- we now have thousands of judges, border judges, thousands and thousands. and by the way, when we release the people, they never come back to the judge, anyway. they're gone. they're in your system. that's it. if they're good, that's great, and if they're bad, you'll have killings, you'll have murders, you'll have this, you'll have that, you'll have crime.

you'll have crime. and remember, these countries that we give tremendous foreign aid to in many cases, they send these people up, and they're not sending their finest. does that sound familiar? remember i made that speech and i was badly criticized? oh, that's so terrible what he said. it turned out i was 100% right. that's why i got elected. [ cheers and applause ] >> we want a great country. we want a country with heart. but when people come up, they have to know they can't get in. otherwise it's never going to stop. whether it was president bush, president obama, president clinton. same policies. they can't get them changed because both sides are always fighting. this is maybe a great chance to have it changed. but one of them says, we want to hire 5,000 more judges.

i don't want judges, i want border security. i don't want to try people. i don't want people coming in. do you know if a person comes in and puts one foot on our ground, it's essentially "welcome to america, welcome to our country." you never get them out because they take their name, they bring the name down, they file it, then they let the person go. they say, show back up to court in one year from now. one year! but here's the thing. that in itself is ridiculous. like 3% come back. the other thing they have is they have professional lawyers. some are for good, others are do-gooders and others are bad people. they tell these people exactly what to say. they say, say the following. they write it down. i am being harmed in my country. my country is extremely dangerous. i fear for my life.

say that, congratulations, you'll never be removed. this is given to them by lawyers who are waiting for them to come up! and they're not all bad people. they're impractical people. but in a way that's cheating because they've given them statements. they're not coming for that reason, they're coming up for many other reasons, and sometimes for that reason. there's been a 1,700% increase in asylum claims over the last 10 years. think of that. think of that. we're a great country, but you can't do that. smugglers know how the system works. they game the system, they game it. it's so easy for them. they're smart. they didn't go to the wharton school of finance. but you know what? they're really smart. the united states has just

surpassed germany as having the most asylum seekers of any nation on earth. can you imagine that? can you imagine? and germany, we talk about germany. they allowed millions of people in. by the way, their crime from the time they started is up more than 10%. that's one of the reasons it's at that level, is because they don't like reporting that kind of crime, so they put it down as a different kind of crime. but their crime is up more than 10% since they started taking them in. i heard someone say that crooked hillary clinton was questioning that statistic. she said, that's not true, it's not true. didn't she already have her chance? [ cheers and applause ] >> i'll tell you what, when you read the ig report with these really dishonest people -- and i was never a deep state guy. let me tell you, we got