All three networks on Monday bashed Donald Trump’s “twitter tirade” on Easter, lamenting that it “closes the door” on “unauthorized immigrants” in America. An irritated Jon Karl complained on Good Morning America about the President’s tweets: “He's still at it. Continuing an Easter tirade, he attacked both Democrats, Mexico, and the DACA deal as the President is declaring there will be no deal to protect the Dreamers.”
The ABC graphic screamed: “Trump’s Easter Twitter Tirade: President Declares ‘No More DACA Deal.’” CBS This Morning’s John Dickerson opened the program by sympathizing with those in the country illegally: “President Trump closes the door on Dreamers, saying he's done with the DACA program for young, undocumented immigrants.”
Later, reporter Chip Reid described DACA as protecting “unauthorized immigrants.” Unauthorized or illegal? For a response to the President’s tweets, Reid went to liberal Republican John Kasich:
Democrats rejected the charge and Ohio Republican Governor John Kasich hit back at the President saying, "A true president office and preserves hope, doesn't hope away from innocent children who call America home."
On NBC’s Today, Peter Alexander portrayed himself as the keeper of Easter decorum: “That Easter spirit — at times — giving way for the President to vent his frustrations and some misinformation about his hard-line positions on immigration.”
He added that Trump paused “to pour fuel on a less than festive topic, immigration.” Sounding like CBS, Alexander fretted: “For Dreamers, their future still up in the air at the center of a fierce political fight. The President’s comments punctuating a series of combative tweets arguing the situation at the border.”
A transcript of the CBS segment is below. Click “expand” to read more:
CBS This Morning
4/2/187am tease
JOHN DICKERSON: Welcome to CBS This Morning. President Trump closes the door on Dreamers, saying he's done with the DACA program for young, undocumented immigrants.
...7:03:47 to 7:06:06
CBS Graphic: “No More DACA Deal!” President Threatens Future of Dreamers and NAFTA
DICKERSON: The so-called Dreamers face new uncertainty after President Trump promised no more immigration talks with Congress. The President also threatened to end NAFTA the North American Free Trade Agreement if Mexico does not take action to stop illegal immigration.
GAYLE KING: In a series of Easter morning tweets, the President called on Republicans to use the, quote, “nuclear option to pass tough laws now. No more DACA deal.” And he claimed more immigrants are coming to take advantage of the program that protects young people brought to the U.S. illegally by their parents.
BIANNA GOLODRYGA: Federal judges have temporarily blocked the President's attempt to end DACA. Chip Reid is at the White House with the impact of his latest statements. Chip, good morning.
CHIP REID: Well, good morning. President Trump ended the DACA program last year, but he gave Congress six months to come up with a new deal. Now after months of failed negotiations, he says Democrats blew it.
DONALD TRUMP: Mexico has got to help us at the border. If they're not going to help us at the border, it's a very sad thing between two countries.
CHIP REID: On his way into service on Easter Sunday morning, the president lashed out at Mexico for not doing enough to stop the flow of illegal immigrants into the United States.
TRUMP: They flow right from Mexico and send them in to the united States. That can't happen that way anymore.
REID: On Twitter, he threatened to terminate NAFTA if the Mexican government doesn’t act.
“They must stop the big drug and people flows,” he wrote, “or I will stop their cash cow, NAFTA.TRUMP: A lot of people are coming in because they want to take advantage of DACA.
REID: But DACA, which protects unauthorized immigrants brought to the U.S. as children, applies only to those already living in the U.S. After his tweet that the deal was no more, the President claimed Democrats missed an opportunity to work with him to extend those protections.
TRUMP: They had a great chance. The Democrats blew it.
REID: Democrats rejected the charge and Ohio Republican Governor John Kasich hit back at the President saying, “A true president office and preserves hope, doesn't hope away from innocent children who call America home.” The President is already tweeting about immigration this morning but he still has not clarified whether his threat on DACA means it completely off the table and his threat to kill NAFTAcould come up later today when he meets with Larry Kudlow, his new director of the National Economic Council.
