theglobalsun – President-elect Donald Trump and his congressional allies have blamed President Joe Biden’s border policies for the recent deadly truck attack in New Orleans. Even though authorities identified the attacker as a U.S. citizen. The attack, which involved a truck ramming into a crowd. It drew immediate reactions from Trump and GOP leaders, blaming immigration policies before details about the suspect emerged.
Trump addressed the incident on Truth Social, writing, “When I said that the criminals coming in are far worse than the criminals we have in our country. That statement was constantly refuted by Democrats and the Fake News Media, but it turned out to be true.” He went on to claim, “The crime rate in our country is at a level that nobody has ever seen before. Our hearts are with all of the innocent victims and their loved ones. Including the brave officers of the New Orleans Police Department.”
Authorities later identified the attacker as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. citizen and Army veteran from Texas. The revelation contradicted earlier claims by Trump and his allies, sparking criticism over the rush to politicize the tragedy.
Critics have called out Trump and other GOP leaders for spreading misinformation and using the incident to advance their political narrative on immigration. Many emphasized the need for accurate information and thoughtful responses in the wake of such incidents.
Trump and GOP Amplify False Immigration Claims in New Orleans Attack
President-elect Donald Trump and his allies repeated false claims linking the New Orleans truck attack to immigration policies. Even after corrections emerged. Fox News initially reported that the attacker had crossed the U.S.-Mexico border earlier in the week. Sparking a wave of misinformation before the network retracted its statement.
The incident occurred on Bourbon Street. The suspect, identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, ran over a crowd before being fatally shot by police. Fox News clarified later that day, stating, “To be clear, the suspect was born in the United States.” Despite the correction, Trump and his allies continued to tie the attack to border policies.
Donald Trump Jr. shared a news article about the erroneous report, claiming, “Biden’s parting gift to America — migrant terrorists.” Similarly, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., posted on social media, “New Orleans terrorist attacker is said to have come across the border in Eagle Pass TWO DAYS AGO!!! Shut the border down!!!”
By Thursday, Trump doubled down on the narrative in posts on Truth Social, stating, “The Biden administration’s handling of the nation’s borders has led to a violent erosion of Safety, National Security, and Democracy.” These comments ignored the established fact that the attacker was a U.S. citizen and an Army veteran from Texas.
Critics accused Trump and his allies of politicizing the tragedy and spreading misinformation for political gain. Although Fox News corrected its reporting, the initial claims fueled a divisive narrative.
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GOP Use New Orleans Attack to Push Border Security Agenda Despite Misinformation
Donald Trump and other prominent Republicans have used the recent New Orleans truck attack to emphasize perceived failures in U.S. border security. In a series of posts on Truth Social, Trump linked the incident to immigration policies, stating, “With the Biden ‘Open Borders Policy,’ I said many times during Rallies, and elsewhere, that Radical Islamic Terrorism, and other forms of violent crime, will become so bad in America that it will become hard to even imagine or believe. That time has come, only worse than ever imagined.”
Other Republicans echoed similar sentiments, using the tragedy to advance the GOP’s platform on border security. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., appeared on Fox News Thursday and described the attack as evidence of a border failure. He claimed Republicans have been “ringing the alarms” about “dangerous people coming here in droves and setting up potentially terrorist cells around the country.”
While some refrained from directly referencing Fox News’ initial erroneous report that the attacker had crossed the border, the rhetoric continued to connect the incident to immigration issues. This narrative persisted even after authorities confirmed the attacker, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, was a U.S. citizen and an Army veteran from Texas.
Republicans Cite Border Security in Response to New Orleans Attack Despite Debunked Claims
Following the New Orleans truck attack, several Republican lawmakers have tied the incident to U.S. border security issues. Despite confirmation that the attacker, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, was a U.S. citizen. Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., posted on X Wednesday, stating that the “open border,” the nation’s immigration system, and Congress’ inaction had “created the perfect storm to endanger Americans.”
Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., shared a video interview discussing the attack and wrote, “We must secure the border & empower local enforcement to protect Americans from these cowards!”
This rhetoric contrasts with data reported earlier this year by NBC News. Which revealed that only 0.014% of migrants attempting to cross the border in fiscal year 2024 were on the terrorist watchlist. During the Biden administration, just over 1,700 individuals have been flagged, compared to 1,400 during the Trump presidency.
Despite these statistics, several GOP leaders, including Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Mike Johnson, Carlos Gimenez, and Eli Crane, have used the attack to highlight border security concerns. They argue for stricter immigration policies, often framing the issue as a national security threat.
Efforts to contact the offices of Trump’s transition team, Greene, Johnson, Gimenez, and Crane for comment were unsuccessful. Fox News, which initially reported that the attacker had crossed the border. Later retracted the claim but has not responded to inquiries about its erroneous report.
As investigations continue, the incident has reignited debates over the intersection of national security, immigration, and the spread of misinformation. Critics argue that conflating unrelated events with border policy undermines meaningful discourse and shifts attention away from fact-based solutions. The role of accurate reporting remains critical in shaping public understanding of such complex issues.
