CNN host Jim Acosta on Monday battled with commentator Scott Jennings about the gravity of former President Donald Trump’s Saturday rally joke about launching a “migrant fight league.”
Trump joked about UFC President and Founder Dana White starting a “migrant fight league” and having the champion fight the UFC champion, saying the migrant may be victorious because of their toughness. Acosta on “CNN Newsroom With Jim Acosta” played a clip of Trump’s remarks, calling them “ugly stuff” and “dehumanizing,” but Jennings said the former president was raising awareness of an important issue that is far worse than the joke itself. (RELATED: Illegal Immigrant ‘Gotaways’ Near Two Million Under Biden Admin)
WATCH:
‘It’s Dehumanizing’: Jim Acosta Clutches Pearls, Spars With Guest Over Trump’s Migrant Fight Club Joke pic.twitter.com/9ZKgksYXsD
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“In a way only Donald Trump can, he is drawing attention to the violent activity that we have seen in places all over this country,” Jennings said.
Acosta inquired if the former president has been watching excessive movies about gladiators.
“Listen, I mean, you can worry about it, the rhetoric, or you can worry about the murders, the rapes, the kidnappings that we’ve seen in a lot of these different story. This is a big part of their campaign,” Jennings answered.
Oklahoma authorities recently arrested 23-year-old Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez for the August 2023 rape and murder of a mother of five on a hiking trail. The migrant entered the United States illegally after committing a murder in El Salvador, according to local law enforcement.
“It’s dehumanizing rhetoric, Scott,” Acosta retorted.
“Would you say it is more or less dehumanizing than murdering and raping someone?” Jennings asked.
Acosta then asserted “crime has been coming down in a major way” despite an “influx” of migrants entering the country, prompting the two to spar about crime in the country by migrants and citizens.
“I’m just saying, why in the hell is one of the two presidential candidates talking about putting migrants into gladiator fight-like experiences, why is that even going on?” Acosta asked, later saying, “after family separations and everything else we’ve seen during the Trump presidency, the Trump experience, they’re talking about deportation camps in this country, fight clubs. I mean, come on. At what point does your side say enough is enough on that kind of rhetoric? It’s dehumanizing.”
“At that point are the Republicans going to stop drawing attention to what they think is Joe Biden‘s biggest failure?” Jennings asked.
Acosta then asked Jennings if he is “okay with … migrant fight clubs.”
“He’s clearly joking at these rallies, but he’s drawing attention to something that’s no laughing matter. And that‘s the violence being committed against a number of people,” Jennings said.
Acosta and Jennings on Tuesday corrected Democratic strategist Maria Cardona when she said Hispanics do not support mass deportation by citing a recent poll, with Jennings telling Cardona she will be “embarrassed” when she looks it up.
Over 50% of Hispanic Americans support “a new national program to deport all undocumented immigrants currently living in the U.S. illegally,” according to a CBS/YouGov poll conducted from June 5-7, with only 47% opposing it.
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