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Donald Trump gave a foul-mouthed rant about immigrants to a small group of wealthy donors during a private fundraiser over the summer, according to reports.
In a 12-minute recording of the former president’s speech, obtained and reviewed by The Guardian, Trump claimed the United States is “going to hell” if Vice President Kamala Harris wins and that “terrorists”, prisoners and people in mental institutions were being sent from other countries.
At one point, he falsely claimed 22 people were released from prisons in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
“We said, ‘Where do you come from?’ Trump reportedly said in the speech in Aspen, Colorado. “They said, ‘Prison.’ ‘What did you do?’ ‘None of your f***ing business what we did’. You know why? Because they’re murderers.”
There is no evidence that prisoners from the DRC are being released to the United States, and a spokesperson for the country’s government told CNN “everything [Trump] is saying isn’t true.” The Independent asked the Trump campaign for comment.
The anti-immigration claim is a familiar one Trump makes at his rallies where he falsely tells supporters that Central and South American countries are releasing “terrorists” or prisoners into the U.S. to commit what Trump calls “migrant crime”.
Crime rates do not support the allegations, and studies have shown immigrants are less likely to commit violent crimes than U.S. citizens. Additionally, fewer people are crossing the U.S.–Mexico border than in 2019.
The private fundraiser on August 10 was hosted by a group of investment executives and billionaires, including Andrew McKenna Jr., the son of former chair of McDonald’s Andrew McKenna and Duke Buchan III, the CEO and founder of Hunter Global Investors and former Republican National Committee finance chair. Fundraiser attendees were required to pay anywhere from $25,000 to $500,000 per couple.
Donors who attended the fundraiser told The Daily Beast in August that Trump was “not angry at all” at the event, describing him as “funny” and “disciplined”. Another person, whose parent attended the fundraiser, told The Beast that the former president’s speech was actually “boring”.
