On January 8, 2019, the 17th day of a partial shutdown of the United States federal government, President Donald Trump delivered an address on illegal immigration from the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C. Major television networks broadcast the president's speech as well as the Democratic response. [1] [2]
Trump used the speech to push for Congress to fund the construction of a larger barrier or wall at the border with Mexico, in order to fulfill a key promise of his campaign. Trump's refusal to sign a continuing resolution to keep the federal government open in the absence of funding for the wall had led to the shutdown. [3] [4] The address lasted just under ten minutes [5] and was Trump's first to be televised from the Oval Office. [6]
During the speech, Trump blamed the shutdown on Congressional Democrats, despite saying in a televised meeting held with Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer on December 11 that he would be "proud to shut down the government for border security" and that he would not blame the Democrats. [7]
Trump reiterated his demand for $5.7 billion for the border wall, which he said would be made of "steel slats" instead of concrete, as previously assumed. He cited statistics he claimed were caused by illegal immigration to the United States, such as the opioid epidemic: “Every week, 300 of our citizens are killed by heroin alone, 90 percent of which floods across our southern border”, and high crime rates among illegal immigrants: “In the last two years, ICE officers made 266,000 arrests of aliens with criminal records,” Trump also said that "Senator Chuck Schumer, who you will be hearing from later tonight, has repeatedly supported a physical barrier in the past, along with other Democrats." and: "America proudly welcomes millions of lawful immigrants who enrich our society and contribute to our nation, but all Americans are hurt by uncontrolled illegal migration. It strains public resources and drives down jobs and wages." Trump further said, "The border wall would very quickly pay for itself." All of these claims are accurate, according to The New York Times fact checkers, but reportedly needed context. [8] They also said his claims, “The federal government remains shut down for one reason and one reason only: because Democrats will not fund border security,” and that, “The wall will also be paid for, indirectly by the great new trade deal we have made with Mexico,” are "false" because Democrats did not support the wall, but border security in general, and that Mexico paying indirectly was "different" from Trump's campaign promise that Mexico would pay for the wall. They also wrote that his claim that, “Every day, Customs and Border Patrol agents encounter thousands of illegal immigrants trying to enter our country,” was "misleading". [8]
Leaders of the Democratic Party requested equal airtime. [9] House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer delivered a response to Trump's speech, blaming Trump for the shutdown, saying "his obsession with forcing American taxpayers to waste billions of dollars on an expensive and ineffective wall — a wall he always promised Mexico would pay for." [10] The New York Times has determined Schumer's statement that "[no] president should pound the table and demand he gets his way or else the government shuts down, hurting millions of Americans who are treated as leverage." needed context but was true, indirectly through Americans' family members. [8]
Trump's administration requested airtime from the networks one day in advance. [6] [11] Trump then announced via Twitter: "I am pleased to inform you that I will Address the Nation on the Humanitarian and National Security crisis on our Southern Border. Tuesday night at 9:00 P.M. Eastern". [5] [12]
The speech was carried live by the major over-the-air and cable news networks in the U.S., [11] eliciting criticism that the media was giving the president a free platform to possibly make "inflammatory or misleading statements". [6] [13] Critics compared the favorable treatment of Trump by the media to the refusal of networks to air a November 2014 speech on immigration by President Barack Obama for being "too political". [13] [14] [15]
Prior to the speech, Joe Lockhart, Daniel Pfeiffer, Jay Rosen, and Connie Schultz, among others, [12] advocated for media to fact check Trump's comments. [16] [6] Mika Brzezinski said networks "should refuse to turn over the airwaves to Donald Trump tonight for what they know objectively to be a steady stream of lies". [6] Ted Koppel said Trump should be given the "benefit of the doubt". [6]
The address and Democratic response drew an estimated total of 43.3 million viewers not including livestreams according to a Nielsen report. [17] The address brought in a 28.1 rating and the response brought in a 29.3 rating in metered markets on ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, Fox News, CNN and MSNBC. [18] [19]
President Donald Trump:
"My fellow Americans: Tonight, I am speaking to you because there is a growing humanitarian and security crisis at our southern border.
Every day, Customs and Border Patrol agents encounter thousands of illegal immigrants trying to enter our country. We are out of space to hold them, and we have no way to promptly return them back home to their country.
America proudly welcomes millions of lawful immigrants who enrich our society and contribute to our nation. But all Americans are hurt by uncontrolled, illegal migration. It strains public resources and drives down jobs and wages. Among those hardest hit are African Americans and Hispanic Americans.
Our southern border is a pipeline for vast quantities of illegal drugs, including meth, heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl. Every week, 300 of our citizens are killed by heroin alone, 90 percent of which floods across from our southern border. More Americans will die from drugs this year than were killed in the entire Vietnam War.
In the last two years, ICE officers made 266,000 arrests of aliens with criminal records, including those charged or convicted of 100,000 assaults, 30,000 sex crimes, and 4,000 violent killings. Over the years, thousands of Americans have been brutally killed by those who illegally entered our country, and thousands more lives will be lost if we don’t act right now.
This is a humanitarian crisis — a crisis of the heart and a crisis of the soul.
Last month, 20,000 migrant children were illegally brought into the United States — a dramatic increase. These children are used as human pawns by vicious coyotes and ruthless gangs. One in three women are sexually assaulted on the dangerous trek up through Mexico. Women and children are the biggest victims, by far, of our broken system.
This is the tragic reality of illegal immigration on our southern border. This is the cycle of human suffering that I am determined to end.
My administration has presented Congress with a detailed proposal to secure the border and stop the criminal gangs, drug smugglers, and human traffickers. It’s a tremendous problem. Our proposal was developed by law enforcement professionals and border agents at the Department of Homeland Security. These are the resources they have requested to properly perform their mission and keep America safe. In fact, safer than ever before.
The proposal from Homeland Security includes cutting-edge technology for detecting drugs, weapons, illegal contraband, and many other things. We have requested more agents, immigration judges, and bed space to process the sharp rise in unlawful migration fueled by our very strong economy. Our plan also contains an urgent request for humanitarian assistance and medical support.
Furthermore, we have asked Congress to close border security loopholes so that illegal immigrant children can be safely and humanely returned back home.
Finally, as part of an overall approach to border security, law enforcement professionals have requested $5.7 billion for a physical barrier. At the request of Democrats, it will be a steel barrier rather than a concrete wall. This barrier is absolutely critical to border security. It’s also what our professionals at the border want and need. This is just common sense.
The border wall would very quickly pay for itself. The cost of illegal drugs exceeds $500 billion a year — vastly more than the $5.7 billion we have requested from Congress. The wall will also be paid for, indirectly, by the great new trade deal we have made with Mexico.
Senator Chuck Schumer — who you will be hearing from later tonight — has repeatedly supported a physical barrier in the past, along with many other Democrats. They changed their mind only after I was elected president.
Democrats in Congress have refused to acknowledge the crisis. And they have refused to provide our brave border agents with the tools they desperately need to protect our families and our nation.
The federal government remains shut down for one reason and one reason only: because Democrats will not fund border security.
My administration is doing everything in our power to help those impacted by the situation. But the only solution is for Democrats to pass a spending bill that defends our borders and re-opens the government.
This situation could be solved in a 45-minute meeting. I have invited Congressional leadership to the White House tomorrow to get this done. Hopefully, we can rise above partisan politics in order to support national security.
Some have suggested a barrier is immoral. Then why do wealthy politicians build walls, fences, and gates around their homes? They don’t build walls because they hate the people on the outside, but because they love the people on the inside. The only thing that is immoral is the politicians to do nothing and continue to allow more innocent people to be so horribly victimized.
America’s heart broke the day after Christmas when a young police officer in California was savagely murdered in cold blood by an illegal alien, who just came across the border. The life of an American hero was stolen by someone who had no right to be in our country.
Day after day, precious lives are cut short by those who have violated our borders. In California, an Air Force veteran was raped, murdered, and beaten to death with a hammer by an illegal alien with a long criminal history. In Georgia, an illegal alien was recently charged with murder for killing, beheading, and dismembering his neighbor. In Maryland, MS-13 gang members who arrived in the United States as unaccompanied minors were arrested and charged last year after viciously stabbing and beating a 16-year-old girl.
Over the last several years, I’ve met with dozens of families whose loved ones were stolen by illegal immigration. I’ve held the hands of the weeping mothers and embraced the grief-stricken fathers. So sad. So terrible. I will never forget the pain in their eyes, the tremble in their voices, and the sadness gripping their souls.
How much more American blood must we shed before Congress does its job?
To those who refuse to compromise in the name of border security, I would ask: Imagine if it was your child, your husband, or your wife whose life was so cruelly shattered and totally broken?
To every member of Congress: Pass a bill that ends this crisis.
To every citizen: Call Congress and tell them to finally, after all of these decades, secure our border.
This is a choice between right and wrong, justice and injustice. This is about whether we fulfill our sacred duty to the American citizens we serve.
When I took the Oath of Office, I swore to protect our country. And that is what I will always do, so help me God.
Thank you and goodnight." [20]
A Trump Pence campaign fundraising email titled “Official Secure the Border Fund” was distributed prior to the speech and asked supporters to donate. [21]
“We need to raise $500,000 in ONE DAY. I want to know who stood with me when it mattered most so I’ve asked my team to send me a list of EVERY AMERICAN PATRIOT who donates to the Official Secure the Border Fund,” stated the Trump-signed memo. “Please make a special contribution of $5 by 9 PM EST to our Official Secure the Border Fund to have your name sent to me after my speech.”
A second fundraising plea to Trump supporters followed the speech and gave supporters additional time to get on the list. [22]
Nancy Patricia Pelosi is an American politician serving as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives since 2019, and previously from 2007 to 2011. She has served as a U.S. representative from California since 1987. A member of the Democratic Party, Pelosi is the only woman in U.S. history to serve as speaker. She was the highest-ranking female official in U.S. history from 2007 to 2021, when Kamala Harris became vice president. She is second in the presidential line of succession, after Harris.
Charles Ellis Schumer is an American politician serving as Senate Majority Leader since January 20, 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, Schumer is the senior United States senator from New York, a seat he has held since 1999. He is the current dean of New York's congressional delegation.
The Mexico–United States barrier, also known as the border wall, is a series of vertical barriers along the Mexico–United States border intended to reduce illegal immigration to the United States from Mexico. The barrier is not a continuous structure but a series of obstructions variously classified as "fences" or "walls".
Government shutdowns in the United States occur when there is a failure to pass funding legislation to finance the government for its next fiscal year or a temporary funding measure. Ever since a 1980 interpretation of the 1884 Antideficiency Act, a "lapse of appropriation" due to a political impasse on proposed appropriation bills requires that the US federal government curtail agency activities and services, close down non-essential operations, furlough non-essential workers, and only retain essential employees in departments covering the safety of human life or protection of property. Voluntary services may only be accepted when required for the safety of life or property. Shutdowns can also occur within and disrupt state, territorial, and local levels of government.
The Secure Fence Act of 2006, also labelled H.R. 6061, is an act of the United States Congress which authorized and partially funded the construction of 700 miles (1,125 km) of fencing along the Mexican border. The Act was signed into law on October 26, 2006, by U.S. President George W. Bush, who stated at the time that the Act would "help protect the American people", would "make our borders more secure", and was "an important step toward immigration reform".
Benjamin Michael McAdams is an American politician and attorney who served as the U.S. Representative from Utah's 4th congressional district from 2019 to 2021. He was the only Democratic member of Utah's congressional delegation, and a member of the Blue Dog Coalition. From 2013 to 2019 he served as mayor of Salt Lake County, and from 2009 to 2012, he was the Utah state senator from the 2nd district, which includes Salt Lake City, South Salt Lake, and a portion of West Valley. McAdams was elected to Congress in 2018, narrowly defeating two-term Republican incumbent Mia Love. In 2020, McAdams ran for reelection, but he narrowly lost to Republican challenger Burgess Owens.
An Address to the Nation is a speech made from the White House by the President of the United States. It is traditionally made from the Oval Office. It is considered among the most solemn settings for an address made by the President, and is most often delivered to announce a major new policy initiative, on the occasion of a President's departure from office, or during times of national emergency.
The Trump wall, commonly referred to as "the wall", was an expansion of the Mexico–United States barrier during the U.S. presidency of Donald Trump. Throughout his 2016 presidential campaign, Trump called for the construction of a border wall. He said that, if elected, he would "build the wall and make Mexico pay for it". President of Mexico Enrique Peña Nieto said that Mexico would not pay for the wall.
Immigration policy and, specifically, illegal immigration to the United States, was a signature issue of U.S. President Donald Trump's presidential campaign, and his proposed reforms and remarks about this issue generated much publicity. Trump has repeatedly said that illegal immigrants are criminals. Despite Trump never explicitly mentioning correlation, critics have argued that there is an increasing amount of evidence that immigration does not correlate with higher crime rates.
Executive Order 13767, titled Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvements, was issued by United States President Donald Trump on January 25, 2017. The order directs a wall, colloquially called the "Trump wall", to be built along the Mexico–United States border. On December 22, 2018, the federal government went into a shutdown due to Trump's demand for $5.6 billion in federal funds to begin work on the wall. By January 12, 2019, the shutdown became the longest budget shutdown in U.S. history.
The 2018 State of the Union Address was given by the 45th President of the United States, Donald Trump, on Tuesday, January 30, 2018, at 9 p.m. EST, in the chamber of the United States House of Representatives to the 115th United States Congress. It was Trump's first State of the Union Address and his second speech to a joint session of the United States Congress. Presiding over this joint session was the House Speaker, Paul Ryan, accompanied by Mike Pence, the Vice President of the United States, in his capacity as President of the Senate.
The United States federal government shutdown of January 2018 began at midnight EST on Saturday, January 20, 2018, and ended on the evening of Monday, January 22. The shutdown began after a failure to pass legislation to fund government operations and agencies. This stemmed from disputes over the extension of status of persons affected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) immigration policy, and therefore whether those covered under the program should face deportation. There was also a dispute over whether funding should be allocated towards building a Mexico–United States border wall. According to estimates by the New York Times, 692,900 workers were furloughed during the shutdown.
Katherine Lauren Hill is an American politician and social services administrator from Agua Dulce, California. She served as the U.S. Representative for California's 25th congressional district from January to November 2019. Hill is the former executive director of People Assisting the Homeless (PATH), a statewide non-profit organization working to end homelessness throughout California. She is a member of the Democratic Party. She won her seat by defeating incumbent Republican Steve Knight in the 2018 midterm elections.
The United States federal government shutdown of 2018–2019 occurred from midnight EST on December 22, 2018, until January 25, 2019. It was the longest U.S. government shutdown in history and the second federal government shutdown involving furloughs during the presidency of Donald Trump. It occurred when the 115th United States Congress and President Donald Trump could not agree on an appropriations bill to fund the operations of the federal government for the 2019 fiscal year, or a temporary continuing resolution that would extend the deadline for passing a bill. The Antideficiency Act prohibits federal departments or agencies from conducting non-essential operations without appropriations legislation in place. As a result, nine executive departments with around 800,000 employees had to shut down partially or in full, affecting about one-fourth of government activities and causing employees to be furloughed or required to work without being paid. The Congressional Budget Office estimated the shutdown cost the American economy at least $11 billion USD, excluding indirect costs that were difficult to quantify.
The following is a timeline of the presidency of Donald Trump during the first quarter of 2019. To navigate quarters, see Timeline of the Donald Trump presidency.
The 2019 State of the Union Address was given by the 45th President of the United States, Donald Trump, on Tuesday, February 5, 2019, at 9 p.m. EST, in the chamber of the United States House of Representatives to the 116th United States Congress. It was Trump's second State of the Union Address and his third speech to a joint session of the United States Congress. Presiding over this joint session was the House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, accompanied by Mike Pence, the Vice President of the United States, in his capacity as President of the Senate.
The National Emergency Concerning the Southern Border of the United States was declared on February 15, 2019, by President of the United States Donald Trump. Citing the National Emergencies Act, it ordered the diversion of billions of dollars of funds that had been appropriated to the U.S. Department of Defense for military construction. Trump declared the emergency after he signed, but derided, a bipartisan funding bill containing border security funding without funding for the border wall that Trump demanded.
The 2020 State of the Union Address was given by the 45th president of the United States, Donald Trump, on Tuesday, February 4, 2020, at 9 p.m. EST, in the chamber of the United States House of Representatives to the 116th United States Congress. It was Trump's third and final State of the Union Address and his fourth and final speech to a joint session of the United States Congress. Presiding over this joint session was the House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, accompanied by Mike Pence, the Vice President of the United States, in his capacity as President of the Senate.
The firstimpeachment trial of Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States, began in the U.S. Senate on January 16, 2020, and concluded with his acquittal on February 5. After an inquiry between September to November 2019, President Trump was impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives on December 18, 2019; the articles of impeachment charged him with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. It was the third impeachment trial of a U.S. president, preceded by those of Andrew Johnson and of Bill Clinton.
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 is a $2.3 trillion spending bill that combines $900 billion in stimulus relief for the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States with a $1.4 trillion omnibus spending bill for the 2021 federal fiscal year and prevents a government shutdown. The bill is one of the largest spending measures ever enacted, surpassing the $2.2 trillion CARES Act, enacted in March 2020. The legislation is the first bill to address the pandemic since April 2020. According to the Senate Historical Office, at 5,593 pages, the legislation is the longest bill ever passed by Congress.
