After his time deep in the heart of Texas covering President Trump and Biden’s similar yet parallel visits to the southern border amidst the worst border crisis in our Republic’s history, President John Pudner traveled to Birmingham, Alabama to not only discuss the two visits, but also bring the first analysis and review of them. As you may expect, Trump’s visit went and was perceived rather well, joining Texas Governor Greg Abbott and National Border Patrol Council (NBPC) President Brandon Judd as a united voice against the Biden Administration's handling of the border. However, down in Brownsville, President Biden was met by visibly uncomfortable and stern Border Agents, nodding their heads and showing their disapproval throughout his visit.
It’s not just here or in recent polling showcasing his weakness on this issue where Biden is seeing ghosts on illegal immigration. Violent crimes committed by illegals have become the defining news story of the year thus far, and in just the last week, four stories have taken the national spotlight:
The murder of UGA Student Laken Riley, allegedly by Jose Antonio Ibarra, a Venezuelan national who entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 and had previously been arrested in New York City for injuring a child. He is currently charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, hindering a 911 call, and concealing the death of another.
The rape of a 14-year-old girl in Campbell County, Virginia, allegedly committed by Renzo Mendoza Montes, a Venezuelan national who entered the country illegally and was detained and released in El Paso, Texas in September 2023. He is currently charged with indecent liberties with a child under thirteen years of age and carnal knowledge of a child thirteen to fourteen years of age without force.
The rape of a 14-year-old girl and stabbing of a man during a knifepoint robbery in Kenner, Louisiana, allegedly at the hands of Angel Matias Castellanos-Orellana, a Honduran national who illegally entered the US had a detainer issued by ICE, robbed a man at knifepoint as he got out of his car a month after the alleged rape, demanding his property before stabbing multiple times in his face and his back. He is currently charged with armed robbery, aggravated battery, first-degree rape, and aggravated assault.
The murder of Jeremy Poou-Caceres, a two-year-old toddler, and assault on his mother, in Langley Park, Maryland, allegedly by Nilson Trejo-Granados, a Salvadoran national who illegally entered the US, was previously arrested twice on theft charges, had three immigration detainers issued, and was ordered to be deported by a Department of Justice immigration judge in Newark, New Jersey. The two victims were caught in the crossfire between two rival gangs involved in a territorial dispute over drug dealing. He is currently charged with first and second-degree murder.
President John Pudner and host J.T discuss how, even despite these recent stories, the focus of President Biden’s trip was to, instead, blame Congressional Republicans for the ongoing crisis at the border, citing recent legislation that failed on a bi-partisan basis in the Senate and even the Brookings Institute, a non-partisan, DC-based Think Tank, described as “timid half-measures that will not get the job done”, and how this visit highlighted the worsening disconnect between the Biden Administration and voters across our Republic.
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The following transcript from this interview is presented in its entirety with minor edits:
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
Laken Riley, Athens, Georgia, border, Trump, Congress, Republicans, wall, voters
SPEAKERS
J.T. and TBOR Action President John Pudner
J.T. 00:00
John Pudner joins us now, always good to chat with, John is the president of Take Back Our Republic Action and was a Bush 2000 aide. What's happening with the dueling border visits today? Donald Trump and Joe Biden are going, Donald Trump's go into the actual border, Joe Biden, not so much. Where's he going to get some brisket and a margarita? What's going on with his visit?
John Pudner 00:20
Funny, I had a Texas interview right before this, and they made that same point, that nothing happens where Biden's going.
J.T. 00:28
He's going to the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport!
John Pudner 00:32
Yeah, they were theorizing that there's a good place to do spring break along the way to where he is.
J.T. 00:40
Didn't Donald Trump have this on his calendar long before Joe Biden, and then all of a sudden, he says he's gotta go do that?
John Pudner 00:48
There's an old line on being mugged by reality in politics. I mean, this issue, it's top of mind. It's not only become the top issue, immigration, or inflation depending on how you phrase the question, neither of them are good for Joe Biden. But, you're up close to 30%, and we knock on tens of thousands of doors, it is THE issue at the doors, and it's connected to everything. I'm talking about immigration and crime, immigration and fentanyl. It's people seeing the connection, and then, my gosh, to see this student at Georgia get killed by an illegal, when she was out for a jog. That's what makes your average person think they go out for a jog, they go out for a walk. I mean, talk about hitting home. So, he just has no way around this issue.
J.T. 01:34
And then you see these other Democrat-led cities, New York, and you've got obviously the Mayor in Athens, Georgia, having it as a sanctuary area, who continue to just say, "Okay, look, we need help. You're putting too many of these illegals on our city", but they're not coming off and doing an about-face, 180-degree turn to say stop the flow, meaning build the wall, put up something to stop the bleeding, and then, if you want to talk immigration reform, let's do it. In the meantime, we're being invaded by a criminal element that is going to have astronomical long-term effects on this country, even if Donald Trump were to step in today and build the wall. I mean, it's tough to put that toothpaste back in the tube.
John Pudner 02:27
It is, and I don't know if any of your listeners saw the press conference yesterday in Georgia, where they were shouting down for the Mayor to resign. I mean, people were there, and liberals tend to go ivory tower and start to make technical distinctions, so he said Athens isn't a sanctuary city because that's illegal in Georgia, but they won't communicate with ICE. I mean, who cares about the technical term? They're trying to claim they're not a sanctuary city, they've said they're welcome here. Athens, Georgia, which is always, of course, a liberal town, like many college towns. And, actually, think a lot of your listeners, a lot of conservatives, don't realize Trump was way ahead of the game on this when he proposed the wall. It didn't ever really have 50% support until now, it suddenly is now at 50-something percent to 31% who don't. He really was ahead of the game if Americans didn't catch up to him on actually needing a wall until this last year.
J.T. 03:25
Democrats spin MAGA like you're a communist or part of the Gestapo, but I don't know how that's a negative statement in anybody's language. The fact that he actually did build the wall, and we were safer than we are now, indicates that people are sick and tired of what's happening, because it's so different from what it used to be. So, with the visit today, what will come out of this? What kind of political spin are you anticipating from Biden, and what will Donald Trump have to say when he gets there? Is this just more to reaffirm that Donald Trump is right, and Joe Biden reaffirming we need the Republicans to cooperate, it's their fault that we're not getting things done in Congress concerning this? I mean, what will change out of this?
John Pudner 04:13
Well, Biden is, at least, cutting his losses a little, that's all he could do. He's on the wrong side of the issue. The best he can do is try to be in a calm place, where there'll be today, and just go back to the old it's Congress, they're gridlocked, etcetera. Nate Silver was actually warning a year ago how dangerous it was going to be for Biden when he rescinded Title 42, saying you can no longer immediately take people out of the country when you catch them. Here we got Nate Silver crunching numbers a year ago, saying that the problems even gotten worse, so it's damage control. It's about the best they can do to actually show up at the border, finally, and then try to say it's all because there's gridlock in Congress. Of course, everyone always hates Congress, but that's not a strong response, but at least it's something.
J.T. 05:03
Let's talk about the border, the actual border. Donald Trump is going to Eagle Pass. Where is Joe Biden going?
John Pudner 05:11
In the Texas interview, they asked if I'd been there, and I said no, and they laughed, said there's nothing happening there, it's the middle of nowhere. This isn't a border crossing area. He just picked a spot where you can say he's close to the border.
J.T. 05:32
You look at people that talk about the situation there, and you ask folks about who's done a better job on this whole situation, It's unbelievably overwhelming. This is a nightmare that we're in right now, so hopefully, this nightmare will end, and we get back on track to doing what we're supposed to. John Pudner, thank you for the input this morning.