Fox News host Laura Ingraham is taking heat after lamented demographic changes in the U.S. due to immigration Wednesday night, which were later endorsed by former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke.
Ingraham said, “The America we know and love doesn’t exist anymore” because of demographic changes brought about by immigration.
“Massive demographic changes have been foisted on the American people, and they are changes that none of us ever voted for, and most of us don’t like,” she claimed as footage of agricultural work and the border played over her shoulder.
“Much of this is related to both illegal and, in some cases, legal immigration that, of course, progressives love,” she added.
Laura Ingraham: “The America we know and love doesn’t exist anymore. Massive demographic changes have been foisted on the American people, and they are changes that none of us ever voted for, and most of us don’t like … this is related to both illegal and legal immigration” pic.twitter.com/s5G2qIY4W0
— Andrew Lawrence (@ndrew_lawrence) August 9, 2018
Ingraham’s remarks were made against the backdrop of the Trump administration reportedly seeking to make it harder for legal immigrants to become citizens.
Duke, in a since deleted tweet, called Ingraham’s sentiment “one of the most important (truthful) monologues in the history of” the mainstream media.
Most of the reactions online, however, were negative, even among conservatives.
Former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci called on Ingraham to walk back her comments.
“It sounds ignorant,” he told CNN. “I hope she realizes that … it’s against the American values that she’s supposedly touting.”
Conservative political commentator S.E. Cupp told Ingraham her views were those of a “dying” generation.
[Also read: Donald Trump Jr.’s interview with Laura Ingraham cuts out after Trump Tower question: LISTEN]
Speak for yourself, and every other last gasp of a dying gen, @IngrahamAngle. WE love this country’s diversity. https://t.co/2GijMcK6vA
— S.E. Cupp (@secupp) August 9, 2018
Others on social media piled on.
Whats hard for me to wrap my head around is that Laura Ingraham has an adopted daughter from Guatemala. So I guess demographic change through this specific kind of legal immigration is okay? https://t.co/5P9G0kaJm2
— Nathan McDermott (@natemcdermott) August 9, 2018
Who are the “we” and the “none of us” and the “most of us” Ingraham is referring to when she race baits here? Polling indicates support for immigration is surging and “most Americans” think immigration is a “good thing.” But that may not be “her America.”: https://t.co/mLG3zcvsxH https://t.co/X1Nk8ezi3n
— Tim O’Brien (@TimOBrien) August 9, 2018
Native Americans: Same. https://t.co/wyGLBHgaOl
— Robert A George (@RobGeorge) August 9, 2018
.@IngrahamAngle is wrong. It has nothing to do with demographics. It has nothing to do with race.
The America we know & love doesn’t exist anymore because too many people in this country no longer believe in freedom. They believe in government.
No matter their color. https://t.co/bJMom84vUY
— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) August 9, 2018
A massive dog whistle. https://t.co/dFBM0IJJFs
— Bobby L. Rush (@RepBobbyRush) August 9, 2018
There are literally quotes from KKK rallies, documented in FBI transcripts from the 1960s, that are close to this. The only difference is those racists had enough shame to wear hoods. https://t.co/AVZlP3Wgoy
— Josh Moon (@Josh_Moon) August 9, 2018
These comments from Laura Ingraham aren’t just racist, they’re wrong & shouldn’t have been aired by @FoxNews. This country was built by immigrants who worked hard to give their families better lives & our diversity makes our nation stronger. https://t.co/eWqXQJbSl0
— Tammy Duckworth (@SenDuckworth) August 9, 2018
Demographic changes don’t threaten the America we know and love because America isn’t defined by so-called racial purity. America is defined in her founding documents by her commitment to the self-evident equality and liberty of all. Suggesting otherwise is deeply unAmerican. https://t.co/8mH5cho5JR
— Evan McMullin (@Evan_McMullin) August 9, 2018
Ending her monologue, Ingraham called on Congress to act on immigration reform.
“There is something slipping away in this country and it’s not about race or ethnicity. It’s what was once a common understanding by both parties that American citizenship is a privilege, and one that at a minimum requires respect for the rule of law and loyalty to our constitution,” she said.
