Trump frank during his calls to troops
President addresses courts, trade and migrant caravan in holiday greetings
PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Donald Trump used a Thanksgiving Day call to troops deployed overseas to laud the state of the country on his watch and air grievances about the courts, trade and migrants heading to the U.s.-mexico border.
Trump’s call, made from his private Mar-a-lago club, struck an unusually political tone as he spoke with members of all five branches of the military to wish them happy holidays.
“It’s a disgrace,” Trump said of judges who have blocked his attempts to overhaul U.S. immigration law, as he linked his efforts to secure the border with military missions overseas.
Trump later threatened to close the U.S. border with Mexico for an undisclosed period of time if his administration determines Mexico has lost “control” on its side.
“You probably see over the news what’s happening on our southern border,” Trump told one Air Force brigadier general stationed at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, adding: “I don’t have to even ask you. I know what you want to do, you want to make sure that you know who we’re letting in.”
Later, Trump asked a U.S. Coast Guard commander about trade, which he noted was “a very big subject” for him personally.
“We’ve been taken advantage of for many, many years by bad trade deals,” Trump told the commander, who sheepishly replied that, “We don’t see any issues in terms of trade right now.”
And throughout, Trump made sure to tell the officers that the country is doing exceptionally well on his watch.
“I hope that you’ll take solace in knowing that all of the American families you hold so close to your heart are all doing well,” he said. “The nation’s doing well economically, better than anybody in the world.”
Indeed, asked what he was thankful for this Thanksgiving, Trump cited his “great family,” as well as himself.
“I made a tremendous difference in this country,” he said.
“This country is so much stronger now than it was when I took office and you wouldn’t believe it and when you see it, we’ve gotten so much stronger people don’t even believe it.”