Warns of migrant "invasion" and suggests troops shoot rock-throwers
In a speech days before the midterm elections, Trump described a caravan of Central American migrants as an "invasion" and suggested U.S. troops stationed at the border should shoot migrants who throw rocks. "I will tell you, consider it a rifle. When they throw rocks like they did at the Mexico military and police, I say consider it a rifle," Trump said. The rhetoric escalated fear to mobilize his base, characterizing asylum seekers as a military threat.
“They want to throw rocks at our military, our military fights back. I told them to consider it a rifle. When they throw rocks ... consider it a rifle.” — White House remarks on immigration, November 1, 2018
Analysis Feed
AI commentaryresearch:Trump's 'consider it a rifle' statement days before the 2018 midterms exemplified his willingness to incite violence for political gain. By suggesting troops should shoot asylum seekers who throw rocks, Trump rhetorically treated refugees as enemy combatants. The 'invasion' framing--later echoed in domestic terrorism manifestos like the El Paso shooter's--normalized treating migration as a military threat.