Watch: Bill Clinton's Remarks on Illegals at 1995 State of the Union Got Him a Standing Ovation
President Donald Trump is set to give his first ever State of the Union address Tuesday, and the Republican National Committee commemorated the day by reminding everyone of former President Bill Clinton’s speech over 20 years ago.
In a Monday email, the RNC stated: “Ahead of the Tuesday’s State of the Union address, I wanted to share a speech excerpt on immigration policy that is sure to receive a bipartisan standing ovation.”
The email featured a clip of Clinton’s 1995 State of the Union address where the then-president outlined his plan to tackle illegal immigration, the Washington Examiner reported. However, the way the crowd handled the Democrat’s statements was a stark contrast to how Trump’s nearly identical statements on the matter have been received.
“All Americans, not only in the states most heavily affected but in every place in this country, are rightly disturbed by the large numbers of illegal aliens entering our country,” Clinton told the crowd. “The jobs they hold might otherwise be held by citizens or legal immigrants.“
He continued: “The public service they use impose burdens on our taxpayers. That’s why our administration has moved aggressively to secure our borders more by hiring a record number of new border guards, by deporting twice as many criminal aliens as ever before, by cracking down on illegal hiring, by barring welfare benefits to illegal aliens.
“In the budget I will present to you, we will try to do more to speed the deportation of illegal aliens who are arrested for crimes, to better identify illegal aliens in the workplace …”
Clinton then referenced the unofficial slogan of the United States that claims, “We are a nation of immigrants.”
But while Clinton referenced the famous moniker, he also provided a caveat that showed the backbone of a strong nation.
“But we are also a nation of laws,” he continued. “It is wrong and ultimately self-defeating for a nation of immigrants to permit the kind of abuse of our immigration laws we have seen in recent years, and we must do more to stop it.”
The crowd moved to its feet and applauded the 42nd president of the United States and his remarks.
And in 2013, former President Barack Obama also used his State of the Union address to slam illegal immigration.
“Real reform means strong border security, and we can build on the progress my Administration has already made — putting more boots on the southern border than at any time in our history, and reducing illegal crossings to their lowest levels in 40 years,” Obama remarked.
These moments are especially interesting considering the Democratic Party has a completely different reaction to almost identical statements when they are made from someone across the political aisle.
In September 2017, Trump announced that his administration would give Congress six months to “legalize” the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals bill that shielded the children of illegal immigrants from being deported back to their home country.
In his official White House statement, Trump echoed the “nation of laws” sentiment spoken by Clinton over 20 years prior.
“As President, my highest duty is to defend the American people and the Constitution of the United States of America,” Trump stated. “At the same time, I do not favor punishing children, most of whom are now adults, for the actions of their parents. But we must also recognize that we are nation of opportunity because we are a nation of laws.”
The current president notably built much of his campaign off of a tough stance on illegal immigration. He promised to build a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico and is now set to visit completed border wall prototypes in San Diego after his address to the nation.
However, even though Trump’s thoughts on illegal immigration mirror those of Clinton and Obama, the Democratic Party has held him to a different standard.
Unfortunately for them, the camera never lies.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
