Gutfeld: Trump's 'good cop, bad cop' immigration events
Republican presidential nominee goes from soft to hard in four hours
He went from soft to hard in four hours. I speak of Donald Trump, giving his first big speech on immigration after that trip to Mexico. Comparing both events it was pure good cop/bad cop. First the good.
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DONALD TRUMP, R-PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I happen to have a tremendous feeling for Mexican-Americans, not only in terms of friendships, but in terms of the tremendous numbers that I've employed in the United States, and they are amazing people, amazing people. I have many friends, so many friends… spectacular, spectacular, hard-working people. I have such great respect for them, and their strong values of family, faith, and community.
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Well, that was nice. Oh, wait, here comes the bad cop.
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TRUMP: We will build a great wall along the southern border and Mexico will pay for the wall. They don't know it yet, but they're going to pay for the wall.
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Well, that was fast. Mexico didn't even get its one phone call. But maybe this is how negotiations work. You say one thing here and another thing there. It's old school autocrat. Visit a country and you're gracious, back home, you're a strongman on steroids. But behind the scenes you offer the Mexican president a discount on the wall.
But last night, Trump actually gave specifics that most countries take for granted and opened with the wall -- that's his stairway to heaven, his big hit. But he also cited the awful visa system and talked about expanding ICE.
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TRUMP: We are going to suspend the issuance of visas to any place where adequate screening cannot occur. I call it extreme vetting, right? Extreme vetting. I want extreme... countries from which immigration will be suspended would include places like Syria and Libya.
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The shift was clear. Immigration reform means plugging the leak first. He brought up quizzing immigrants on honor killings, women and gay rights.
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TRUMP: Another reform involves new screening tests for all applicants, an ideological certification to make sure that those we are admitting to our country share our values and love our people! Applicant will be asked for their views about honor killings, about respect for women and gays and minorities added towards on radical Islam.
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Of course, the left will call this religious persecution. But how come they only defend religion when it hurts our country?
Then there's vintage Donald.
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TRUMP: Within ICE, I am going to create a new special deportation task force focused on identifying and quickly removing the most dangerous criminal illegal immigrants in America who have evaded justice, just like Hillary Clinton has evaded justice, OK.
Maybe they'll be able to deport her.
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It's a joke. I think.
And it was indeed a speech, but also a rally before the converted. Did he win over anyone that he hadn't won already or did he undo the sheer brilliance of his stately Mexican visit? The media says he didn't pivot, which we aren't used to. Me? I dug the specifics, I asked for them.
But after a year of bad blood, have the people who should be listening, are they already moved on or are they just tuning in?
Either way, at least we got new hats.
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RUDY GIULIANI, FORMER NEW YORK CITY MAYOR: Well, I'll tell you what, I'm going to put this hat on.
(APPLAUSE)
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Why do they have to be white? Racists.
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