Trump pushes for border wall to combat opioid crisis and 'keep the damn drugs out'
President Trump pushed his proposed border wall as a method to combat the national opioid crisis in a speech in New Hampshire on Monday.
"Ninety percent of the heroin in America comes from our southern border," said Trump. "Eventually the Democrats will agree with us, and we'll build the wall to keep the damn drugs out."
His call for additional border security elicited a standing ovation from the audience, who cheered and chanted in support of a wall. Attendees also applauded the president's pledge to deploy the death penalty for drug dealers, whom he called "terrible people."
In his remarks, Trump additionally slammed sanctuary cities, which shield some immigrants from deportation by allowing local authorities to decline to cooperate with federal immigration officers. The president said that removing sanctuary policies was crucial to stopping the opioid crisis, saying that they "shield dangerous criminals" who are responsible for drug dealing. Other strategies mentioned were "commercials" to deter children from trying drugs and battling pharmaceutical companies who push to overprescribe pain medications.
Watch Trump's comments on the border wall below, via Fox News.
.@POTUS: "90% of the heroin in America comes from our southern border where, eventually @TheDemocrats will agree with us, and will build the wall to keep the damn drugs out." https://t.co/xgbqseWlE2 pic.twitter.com/aW3vjvrXqf
— Fox News (@FoxNews) March 19, 2018