"DO NOT make the mistake President Biden made for not firing a grossly incompetent DHS Secretary."

Writes Senator John Fetterman to President Trump, quoted in "Fetterman calls on Trump to fire Noem: 'Americans have died'" (The Hill).

When I first read that line — "Americans have died" — I thought he meant to say the entire nation has lost its soul.

But he meant the simpler, concrete reality: Renee Good and Alex Pretti have died.

There's also this: "Trump Holds 2-Hour Meeting With Noem Amid Backlash to Minneapolis Shooting" (NYT): "The meeting came after Ms. Noem requested to see the president.... Ms. Noem has been the face of the administration’s immigration crackdown, and she has been among the most vocal in spreading false accusations against Mr. Pretti, including labeling him a 'domestic terrorist.' The Oval Office meeting also included several of Mr. Trump’s top aides.... The meeting came the same day Mr. Trump announced he was sending Tom Homan, his border czar, to oversee the operation in Minneapolis. The move was seen as a way to elevate an official who is steeped in Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s longstanding practice of prioritizing targeted arrests, rather than the kinds of sweeping raids that the Trump administration has carried out in cities across the country."

The referenced "grossly incompetent" Biden DHS Secretary was Alejandro Mayorkas, who oversaw the 10+ million illegal border crossings. Why didn't Biden fire him? A cynic would say Biden approved of what was happening. And yet even if he approved, he should have signaled that he did not approve, and firing the Secretary is a showy way to express disapproval.

"You have to have a federal government that can enforce laws."

Resurfaced video of Joe Biden being asked about sanctuary citiespic.twitter.com/e2SrFohLJD

— Defiant L’s (@DefiantLs) January 8, 2026

"Why Mr. Biden waited so long to effectively seal the border has become one of the defining questions of his presidency."

"Some aides feared that closing the border would be overturned by the courts. Others said that principles mattered. 'It was truly believed — deeply, by many, including the president — that that was not in keeping with our values,' said Ms. Jacobson, the former border czar...."

From "How Biden Ignored Warnings and Lost Americans’ Faith in Immigration/The Democratic president and his top advisers rejected recommendations that could have eased the border crisis that helped return Donald Trump to the White House" (NYT)(gift link).

"There's only so much he can do."

Remember when the left kept perpetuating the lie that “there's only so much Biden can do”about the border crisis? pic.twitter.com/HePFhZdLbL

— Lucy (@TheLucyShow1) March 6, 2025

To be fair, it's possible that the things Trump is doing to shut the border are things a court will one day tell him he actually can't do. For now, he's doing it anyway. Those who want to preserve their dignity after leaning hard into "There's only so much he can do" have a big stake in the litigation. We're still in the middle of things.

And here's the key line from Trump's March 4, 2025 address to Congress: "The media and our friends in the Democrat party kept saying we needed new legislation, we must have legislation to secure the border. But it turned out that all we really needed was a new President."

If the President wants to do something, he'll push the boundaries of power. If he doesn't, he'll see those boundaries where they justify his inaction. 

"Beyond the effect the pardons and commutations will have on the lives of those who received them, they also served Mr. Trump’s mission of rewriting the history of Jan. 6."

"Throughout his presidential campaign and after he won the election, he has tried repeatedly to play down the violent nature of the Capitol attack and reframe it, falsely, as a 'day of love.'... As a legal matter, the pardons and commutations effectively unwound the largest single criminal inquiry the Justice Department has undertaken in its 155-year history. They wiped away all of the charges that had already been brought and the sentences already handed down while also stopping any new cases from moving forward. Starting virtually from the moment the Capitol was breached, investigators spent more than four years obtaining warrants for thousands of cellphones and Google accounts, scrolling through tens of thousands of hours of police body-camera and surveillance camera footage, and running down hundreds of thousands of tips from ordinary citizens.... Mr. Trump appears to have decided to grant an expansive form of clemency relatively recently and after a debate among his advisers.... A few weeks ago, Vice President JD Vance said... 'If you committed violence on that day, obviously you shouldn’t be pardoned,' Mr. Vance said, but... Mr. Vance’s comments elicited almost immediate outrage among many of the rioters... ... Philip Anderson, who was accused of taking part in a violent scrum in a tunnel outside the Capitol, wrote on social media. 'All J6 defendants need to be saved.'..."

From "Trump Grants Sweeping Clemency to All Jan. 6 Rioters/The extraordinary pardons and commutations extended to those who committed both violent and nonviolent crimes on Jan. 6, including assaulting police officers and seditious conspiracy" (NYT).

The Biden administration went big and then Trump went big. Biden could have shown mercy and aimed to bring Americans together, but he chose to be as punitive as possible. And this is after so much tolerance and forgiveness was shown to the Black Lives Matter rioters, to those crossing the border illegally, and to his political cronies and family matters. In that light, I have nothing negative to say about Trump's sweeping magnanimity.

"In 2020, Joe Biden ran on the promise to reverse Trump’s border policies and expand legal immigration."

"'If I’m elected president, we’re going to immediately end Trump’s assault on the dignity of immigrant communities,' he said during his speech accepting the Democratic nomination. 'We’re going to restore our moral standing in the world and our historic role as a safe haven for refugees and asylum seekers.' That kind of humanitarian language is gone from Democrats’ 2024 messaging. So is any defense of immigration on the merits. When asked about immigration, Vice President Kamala Harris touts her background prosecuting transnational criminal organizations and promises to pass legislation that would 'fortify' the southern border.... Although public opinion is known to ebb and flow, a reversal this big, and this fast, is nearly unheard-of...."

Writes Rogé Karma, in "The Most Dramatic Shift in U.S. Public Opinion/The size and speed of the immigration backlash over the past four years are nearly unheard-of" (The Atlantic).

Things not believed.

You released 425,000 convicted criminals into the public.

No one believes you. pic.twitter.com/ddq048Eqv9

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) September 27, 2024

"Biden's fun. Biden's kind of fun... I don't want to lose him now that he's just not going to be the president. He's fun now...."

Says Tim Dillon near the end of this week's podcast, reacting to Biden's putting on a Trump hat he gets from some old guy at a rally and telling the guy not to eat dogs and cats:

And watch beginning at 24:10 for Tim's critique of the Wall Street Journal piece reassuring readers about the viral video of armed migrants in the corridor of an apartment building in Aurora, Colorado: "This is the Wall Street Journal writing an article telling people to relax, going, hey, why don't you fucking relax, you racist, because what you thought was a full takeover of a building was not — it was just 10 violent Venezuelan prison gang members carrying out a routine operation or something they felt needed to be done.... Thank you, Wall Street Journal.... There are guys in the in the corridor with guns, and they're killing someone, but it's okay. They didn't take over the whole building.... Can you imagine writing this article thinking it lands?...."

Here's the Wall Street Journal piece in case you want to fact-check Tim's mockery: "In Colorado, a Murder and a Viral Video Stoke Fears of Migrant Crime/In exaggerated claim that a Venezuelan gang took over an apartment complex spread quickly through an already-on-edge community."

Marrying an American citizen generally provides a pathway to U.S. citizenship. But people who crossed the southern border illegally..."

"... must return to their home countries to complete the process for a green card.That means long separations from their spouses and families. The new program would allow families to remain in the country while they pursue legal status. Officials briefed on the discussions said the announcement could amount to the most sweeping unilateral move by a president to provide relief to unauthorized immigrants since President Barack Obama implemented DACA. In a separate move on Tuesday, Mr. Biden is also expected to announce new ways to help people in DACA, known as Dreamers, gain access to work visas."

From "Biden to Give Legal Protections to Undocumented Spouses of U.S. Citizens/Undocumented spouses of American citizens will be shielded from deportation, provided work permits and given a pathway to citizenship, according to officials briefed on the plan" (NYT).

"The decision comes as Mr. Biden tries to strike a balance on one of the most dominant political issues in 2024. Aware that many Americans want tougher policies on the border, Mr. Biden just two weeks ago announced a crackdown that suspended longtime guarantees that give anyone who steps onto U.S. soil the right to seek asylum here. Almost immediately after he issued that order, White House officials began privately reassuring progressives that the president would also help undocumented immigrants who had been in the nation for years...."

"We must face a simple truth. To protect America as a land that welcomes immigrants, we must first secure the border and secure it now."

Said President Biden, in the 4th year of his presidency, facing up, at long last, to the "simple truth."

Quoted in "In Shift, Biden Issues Order Allowing Temporary Border Closure to Migrants The move shows how drastically immigration politics have shifted in the United States. The American Civil Liberties Union said it planned to challenge the order in court" (NYT).

“The administration has left us little choice but to sue,” said Lee Gelernt, a lawyer at the A.C.L.U, which led the charge against the Trump administration’s attempt to block asylum in 2018 and resulted in the policy being stopped by federal courts. “It was unlawful under Trump and is no less illegal now.”...

No one's above the law.

"Look, think about it. Why is China stalling so badly economically? Why is Japan having trouble? Why is Russia? Why is India? Because they're xenophobic. They don't want immigrants."

Said Joe Biden, quoted in "Japan disappointed by Biden's 'xenophobic' comments" (Kyodo News).

Did he just blurt that out or is there political wisdom in saying that? It appeals to certain Americans and it might be a deliberate nudge to China and Japan.

"Let's get our fact straight. There's no crisis at the border. C'mon..."

Funny:

Still brilliant, never not been brilliant... pic.twitter.com/VWPlm59l6N

— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) March 5, 2024

Not so funny:

Treason indeed! Ushering in vast numbers of illegals is why Secretary Mayorkas was impeached by the House.

They are importing voters. This is why groups on the far left fight so hard to stop voter ID requirements, under the absurd guise of protecting the right to vote. https://t.co/WhtVFyS6sa

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 5, 2024

By the way, Elon's position — that Democrats are rigging the 2024 election by strategically dispersing immigrants (presumably to cities in swing states) — feels like a new version of the 2020 "election denial." He's getting the jump on the accusation of "treason." 

The funny/terrifying mix is painfully strong.

"Donald J. Trump and President Biden will be at the border on Thursday in a split-screen moment previewing a key issue that will animate their likely rematch for the White House."

Caption under a photo at "The Politics Behind Trump and Biden’s Dueling Border Stops/In separate events along the border in Texas on Thursday, President Biden and Donald Trump will present contrasting goals, and clashing messages" (NYT).

For Mr. Trump, the border is a familiar backdrop and represents almost the background music of his candidacy, as he warns of a nation slipping out of reach and an “invasion” he promises to stop. For Mr. Biden, immigration represents a top vulnerability.... But Biden allies believe the recent decision by Republican congressional leaders — at Mr. Trump’s urging — to abandon a potential bipartisan border deal has provided the party a rare opening.... “If that bill were the law today, I’d shut down the border right now,” he said last month. Congressional Republicans have called on Mr. Biden to do so through executive powers.

Why are they there — Trump in Eagle Pass and Biden in Brownsville — on the same day? Obviously, one is deliberately stepping on the other's photo op.

Mr. Trump had announced his trip first and Mr. Biden followed, though the president said on Monday he was unaware his predecessor would be there. “What I didn’t know is my good friend, apparently, is going,” he said.

I considered calling Biden a liar, but:

"The United States House of Representatives rejected impeachment charges against Alejandro N. Mayorkas, the homeland security secretary..."

"... on Tuesday after a small group of Republicans broke with their party and refused to support what amounted to a partisan indictment of President Biden’s immigration policies. The 216-214 vote dealt a stunning defeat to Speaker Mike Johnson, who had expressed confidence that he had the votes to charge Mr. Mayorkas with high crimes and misdemeanors for failing to lock down the United States border with Mexico amid a migrant surge, a move that Republicans have been promising for more than a year."

The NYT reports.

Good. As I wrote on January 28th, "What's the 'high crime'/'misdemeanor' bringing this policy disagreement within the constitutional power to impeach?"

Donald Trump, the motivational speaker.

Watch the video at Truth Social.

Is that a campaign ad or is he just trying to tell us how to run our life?

Also at Truth Social within the last day, there's this very cutting anti-Biden ad.

Truth Social is working out very well for Trump, I think. You have to intend to go there, but it's a sharp, clean environment, devoid of the clutter of Twitter ("X").

ADDED: Embedded Truth Social video removed, replaced by links. They did not play on my blog. If you click them, you get sent over to the Truth Social website. And they also caused my sidebar to relocate to the bottom of my webpage. So Truth Social is not working out very well for me. I'll link but not embed in the future. Do better.

"House Republicans on Sunday released two articles of impeachment against Alejandro N. Mayorkas, the homeland security secretary..."

"... charging President Biden’s top immigration official with refusing to uphold the law and breaching the public trust in his handling of a surge of migration at the U.S. border with Mexico.... The charges against Mr. Mayorkas... are all but certain to fizzle in the Democratic-led Senate.... But the process would yield a remarkable election-year political spectacle...."

The NYT reports.

What's the "high crime"/"misdemeanor" bringing this policy disagreement within the constitutional power to impeach?

"Please blame it on me."

From the front page at The Washington Post website:

 

Biden's offer reveals that securing the southern border is something he does not want to do. He's willing to give in on it to get something else, something he wants, Ukraine funding.

From the first article:

"The Biden Administration went all in on the false claim as a cudgel to use against Texas for trying to secure the Southern border with its own personnel to stop the unprecedented surge of illegal migrants."

Writes Jonathan Turley, in "The Biden Administration and Media Accused of Another False Claim on the Border."

Perhaps you heard: "On Friday night, a woman and two children drowned near Eagle Pass, and Texas officials blocked U.S. Border Patrol from attempting to provide emergency assistance." 

"You're Joe Biden. Suppose your goals are to a) get reelected, b) in the process let in as many migrants as you can, because you..."

"... and many of your supporters think it's a good thing. You've made impressive progress on (b), letting in migrants at a rate that’s now at least around 2 million a year,. But now goal (b) is conflicting with (a) as the massive surge of illegals at the border has become a 'sucking wound' on your 2024 chances. What to do?"

Writes Mickey Kaus, in "Biden's Border 'Briar Patch'/'Please, please, don't fix my most serious political problem for me!'" (Substack).

“President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine hit a brick wall of resistance from Senate Republicans on Tuesday as he made an urgent plea….”

“[S]everal Republicans emerged from a meeting with him unmoved. They reiterated their stance that they would not agree to any new aid for Ukraine unless President Biden and Democrats bowed to their demands to clamp down on migration at the southern border of the United States…. Republican resistance to helping Ukraine has steadily grown on Capitol Hill, and the star power Mr. Zelensky once enjoyed there has faded considerably…. This time, Mr. Zelensky made no public statement at all at the Capitol, bypassing reporters who had gathered expecting to hear from him. Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio, one of the most vocal critics in the Senate of Ukraine aid, called Mr. Zelensky’s trip to Congress ‘grotesque.’ ‘He’s coming to the United States of America, lecturing us, and demanding more American taxpayer dollars,’ Mr. Vance said on Fox News on Monday night…..”

The NYT reports.