CHUCK SCHUMER: Trump’s new immigration crime office is ‘ridiculous’

While Trump and his administration tout progress on key campaign promises – from tackling immigration to coaxing employers to keep jobs in the country – numerous president’s plans for the future have been short on specifics, such as how to pay for the border wall with Mexico and how to replace long-gone manufacturing jobs. Trump promised to be very tough on undocumented immigrants, to cut taxes, to cut spending on things Republicans dislike like the EPA, to raise spending on things Republicans like like defense, to create huge new infrastructure projects, to look America’s trade partners in the eye and demand a better deal. But he gave little in the way of specific proposals or timelines, nor did he address the complicated political calculus and legislative process needed to push through those items. While he inevitably made his own headlines with his speech, it was First Lady Melania Trump who had the Internet talking about her glittering Michael Kors skirt suit.

“A new national pride is sweeping across our nation”, he said during his prime-time address.

President Trump is not Abraham Lincoln.

“President Trump delivered a bold, optimistic message to the American people”, he said.

Indeed, Deutsche Bank economists expect the president to spend most of his speech time focused on tax reform since it’s a crucial element of his plan to kick start America’s growth engine. “I think people are going to like it a lot”. Recent presidents have instead given what is called a speech to a Joint Session of Congress. “I mean, power can be very addictive and it can be corrosive and it’s important for the media to call to account people who abuse their power, whether it be here or elsewhere”. The applause was the longest of the entire night, and thundered through the chamber.

Perhaps one had. “The speech was all [Stephen] Miller, but Ivanka [Trump] worked hard on it with him on numerous parts, especially affirming that the president’s desire to have an uplifting and aspirational speech was right”, a senior administration official told Axios by email.

“I firmly believe in legal immigration”, said the California Republican, who has enthusiastically embraced Trump. The office, tucked in a Republican-leaning neighborhood inside a largely Democratic New York City borough, is lined with faded portraits of Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. Campaign signs saying “Win One For the Gipper” and “We Salute Our Troops” are pinned next to newer Trump-Pence placards.

After the speech, in a video on Facebook Bernie Sanders said: ‘Since the beginning of this year, we have seen unprecedented grassroots energy.

According to Politico, Mr Trump appeared to be citing a 2016 report from Jeff Sessions, Trump’s attorney general, claiming that “at least 380 of the 580 individuals convicted of terrorism or terrorism-related offenses between September 11, 2001, and December 31, 2014, were born overseas”.

“Now, the theme of the speech was ‘renewal of the American spirit, ‘ which I got to say really just sounds like a Chinese bootleg of ‘Make America Great Again, ‘” the host said.

He held out the possibility that military spending would increase by even more than the $54 billion already proposed.

Emma Loop contributed reporting.