Sen. Tom Cotton defended Donald Trump’s position on putting a stop to illegal immigration and limiting legal immigration, arguing that the nation’s policy should be focused on what’s in the best interest of the American people, not the immigrants.
The Arkansas Republican said he isn’t surprised that Trump’s immigration message resonated with voters because he too opposed a comprehensive immigration overhaul in Congress in 2013.
“For a long time, voters in America have wanted less immigration,” he said, noting that the country has always been made up of immigrants. “Our immigration policy should be focused on what’s in the best interests of the American people.”
Cotton made the comments while participating in a question and answer session with the Atlantic magazine at the GOP convention in Cleveland.
The Senate’s “Gang of Eight” immigration reform bill that was up for consideration in 2013, he said, would have increased immigration at a time “when people were struggling to get jobs, get wages.”
“Donald Trump tapped into a sentiment among the American people that Washington is not working for them,” he said. “That the economy was moving too slowly. That it was really a dual-track economy – that there are a lot of policies that aren’t going to serve the best interests of the American people whether it is increasing levels of legal immigration or increasing [the national] debt or piling more regulations on small businesses.”
More broadly, Cotton said he is backing Trump despite having some differences with him on the issues.
“No one is going to agree with everyone all of the time. I have a lot of disagreements with my colleagues in the Senate issue to issue – I have some disagreements with Donald Trump as well,” he said. “But I think Americans will be safer and more prosperous with a Republican president and a Republican Congress than I do with a Democratic president and a Democratic Congress.”
An Army veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, Cotton also argued that Trump is a strong advocate for veterans and rebuilding the U.S. military.
“On the veterans issue, yes, Donald Trump has been a very strong advocate for veterans,” he said. He laid out an important series of policy reforms a couple of weeks ago in his speech.”
“Some of it also is about getting the economy moving again so we can all find jobs, including veterans,” Cotton said.
When it comes to military spending, Trump is committed to jettisoning the across-the-board defense cuts Congress put in place in recent years, he said.
Cotton, a leading critic of the Iran deal the Obama administration cut with Iran, also urged Trump to tear up the pact if he wins the presidency in November.
“Iran is not following the deal, and the deal is not in the national interest so I would suggest walking away from it,” he said.
Trump has called the deal “disastrous” and said it is one of the first things he would “renegotiate” should he become president.
