Trump Appears To Think ‘Coyotes’ On The Border Are The Actual Animals
In referring to the issues of crossings on the U.S./Mexico border, the term “coyotes” refers to people who assist in helping others cross the border, usually for a fee. This term has been in general usage for quite a long time, going back at least to the 19th century.
Donald Trump made border security and the prevention of illegal crossings the signature issue of his campaign and later his presidency. But it appears that he is unfamiliar with the term “coyote,” and from the sounds of a speech he made this week, he may be under the impression that actual coyotes – as in, the animals- are crossing over the border.
“A nation without borders is a nation not at all,” the president said in a speech Thursday, as reported by Vox. “Without borders, we have the reign of chaos, crime, cartels and believe it or not, coyotes.” He went on to promise that he will not surrender the nation to “the whims of criminal organizations.”
The president this week backed off of a proposed deal that would have funded the government through early next year without appropriating funds for Trump’s proposed border wall. Because of that, it’s possible that a government shutdown will take place, leaving government employees without paychecks days before the Christmas holiday. The shutdown would begin at midnight on Friday if no funding deal is reached before then.
“A nation without borders is a nation not at all. Without borders, we have the reign of chaos, crime, cartels and believe it or not, coyotes,” Trump said of the Senate spending bill he's refusing to sign due to it not meeting his demands on border security funding pic.twitter.com/aX3BgpTXX3
— POLITICO (@politico) December 20, 2018
Trump’s invocation of coyotes has led to lots of memes involving Wile E. Coyote fleeing the Road Runner on social media, as well as general laughter that a president that invested in the immigration issue may not be familiar with the common term “coyote.”
The president also vowed this week that a government shutdown could last “a very long time,” and even said that he would cancel his planned travel to Mar-a-Lago for Christmas if negotiations in Washington were ongoing. This follows a bad week for financial markets as well as the news that Secretary of Defense James Mattis is resigning, effective in February, due to disagreements with the president over the planned withdrawal of troops from Syria.
With funding for the border wall in limbo, a GoFundMe campaign has sought donations from individuals in order to make the wall a reality, raising more than $12 million as of Friday afternoon. However, according to a previous Inquisitr report, experts have questioned whether the donation scheme is legal as gifts to the government are not allowed to be used for a specific purpose of the donor’s choosing.
