Said of immigrant murderers 'it's in their genes' and 'we've got a lot of bad genes in our country'

“You know, now, a murderer, I believe this, it's in their genes. And we've got a lot of bad genes in our country right now.”

Said: October 7, 2024, The Hugh Hewitt Show (radio interview)
Subject: Immigrants convicted of murder
Target: Immigrants
Topic: Immigration
Era: 2024 campaign

What happened

Trump appeared to be citing ICE data showing 13,099 noncitizens convicted of homicide on its non-detained docket. Many of them were in prison, and some of the convictions dated back decades, Reuters and AP reported. Campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt said he 'was clearly referring to murderers, not migrants.' White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called the language 'hateful' and 'disgusting.'

Sources

Interview: Hugh Hewitt Interviews Donald Trump on His Radio and Podcast Show - October 7, 2024 Roll Call Factba.se, Oct 7, 2024
Trump says there are migrants in the U.S. with 'bad genes' in chilling rant Mediaite, Oct 8, 2024
A 'lot of bad genes' among immigrants in the US: Trump AAP, Oct 8, 2024