Trump Brags About Bypassing Congress: ‘You Just Do It! You’re the President!’

 

President Donald Trump bragged about deploying troops to the southern border without congressional approval, mocking former President Joe Biden’s emphasis on congressional oversight as he declared, “You just do it! You’re the president!”

The president made a campaign stop in Bullhead City, Arizona, on Wednesday to rally support for Republican candidates ahead of the midterm elections, with gubernatorial candidate Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), congressional candidate Mark Lamb, and Rep. Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ) also slated to speak at the event.

“Two years ago, we inherited the worst border in American history,” Trump told rallygoers. “We turned it into the safest border, the best border, by far in the history of our country, and within hours of taking the oath of office, I deployed the United States military to secure our southern border.”

The president indeed announced plans to deploy U.S. troops to the southern border during his inauguration speech on January 20, 2025, as part of a sweeping immigration crackdown that included declaring a national emergency, reinstating his “Remain in Mexico” policy, and launching mass deportations.

“I didn’t go to Congress like — remember Joe Biden? Sleepy Joe. ‘If they would give me approval in Congress’ — you’re not gonna get it,” scoffed Trump. “You just do it! You’re the president!”

His words drew tepid laughter from attendees.

“Turns out we just needed a new president. That’s all we needed,” Trump added, drawing notably more noise from the crowd.

Trump has been hit for sidestepping Congress before. He called the idea of seeking congressional approval for his war in Iran “totally unconstitutional” in May, adding, “These are not patriotic people that are asking [for oversight].”

And just last month, after first promising to send Americans $5,000 checks if Republicans win the upcoming midterm elections, he responded, “We think not” when asked if the plan will require a go-ahead from Congress.

Watch the clip above on C-SPAN.

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