Former President Donald Trump told billionaire Elon Musk the pair should flee and "meet the next time in Venezuela" if the GOP presidential hopeful loses, Newsweek reported. Trump said this to underscore his concerns for the future of the U.S. if his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, prevails.
Musk interviewed Trump on Monday through the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, which the SpaceX mogul also owns. The pair spoke at length after technical difficulties initially derailed the broadcast on X Spaces.
"If something happens with this election, which would be a horror show, we'll meet the next time in Venezuela because it'll be a far safer place to meet than our country...You and I will go, and we'll have a meeting and dinner in Venezuela," Trump said to Musk more than an hour and 53 minutes into the broadcast.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 12, 2024
Trump maintains that many of the problems with immigration come from nations like Venezuela, which is sending criminals to enter the U.S. illegally. The former president contends that it lowers the South American nation's crime rate.
"Their crime rate is coming down, and our crime rate is going through the roof. And it's so simple," Trump told Musk.
"And you haven't seen anything yet because these people have come into our country, and they're just getting acclimated, and they don't know about being politically correct, law enforcement or lack of law enforcement and our police. I have to just end with this. We have great police," the former president added.
"I'll tell you what. Venezuela has not gotten rid of all of them. They've gotten rid of about 70 percent of their really bad people," Trump said.
"Their jails are about 50%, put into the United States. Same with other countries, over 30%. Some are at 50%. They're all different. But the bottom line is they're all going to be 100%. Why wouldn't you put 100% of it?" Trump claimed.
Fact-checkers claimed that there is no evidence that Venezuela is sending over criminals or people from mental hospitals. However, Trump's statement underscores a broader problem with growing numbers of migrant crime.
When people are allowed into the nation unvetted, there's no telling what kind of past they have or crimes they've committed. This is especially concerning as Fox News reported that the number of migrant criminals has reached new heights since 2021.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection data found that more than 13,000 "criminal noncitizens" were captured by Border Patrol in Fiscal Year 2024 so far. This is more than doubled the 4,269 in 2019 and represented people convicted of at least one crime anywhere in the world.
Prior to when President Joe Biden took over in 2021, the number was on the decline. However, each year of the Biden administration has seen an increase, with 2023, the last full year, recording 15,267 such migrants.
Trump is correct that migrant criminals pose a major threat to the citizens of the U.S. He's also correct that if he doesn't retake the White House in 2024, things will only get that much worse in the U.S.
