CNN anchor Dana Bash shut down Trump’s border czar after he tried to spin the president’s unhinged comments about the Somali community.
In an appearance Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union, Tom Homan was pressed on whether Trump’s description of Somali immigrants as “garbage” had anything to do with a targeted operation against the community in Minnesota.
“Well, I think President Trump’s referring to public safety threats and national security threats from Somalia and every other country,” Homan said.
Bash shot back: “Well, he didn‘t say that. He said the whole...He talked about the whole community.”
The CNN host was referring to Trump’s attack on Somalia-born Congresswoman Ilhan Omar this week, during which he said of the Somali community. “They contribute nothing. I don’t want them in our country, I’ll be honest.”
After saying he wasn’t “aware” of what Trump was “thinking” with his rant, Homan argued: “From day one, he has said we’re concentrating on public safety threats and national security threats.
“He was put in the Oval Office to run the biggest deportation operation this country has ever seen. That’s exactly what we’re doing. That’s what American people voted for.”
“Well, look, I, you know, I’m not aware what President Trump was thinking when he said that, but I agree with President Trump,” Homan said.
Rather than address whether labeling a community “garbage” had overridden legitimate security priorities, Homan noted that Trump was focused broadly on “numerous countries.”
He stated: “Some of these countries don’t have the proper systems in place to totally vet somebody, so we don’t know who they really are.
“So President Trump’s taking it upon himself in this administration to make sure anybody that came to this country illegally, we find.”
Earlier in the show, Homan dismissed concerns that Somalis were being arrested based on appearance and that ICE was gaining a reputation for arresting U.S. citizens. However, the Trump loyalist remained firm in his support of immigration policies—despite admitting he had no clue why the president openly told a whole community to “go back to where they came from.”
“He’s protecting America. And I agree with 100% what he’s doing,” Homan concluded.
