President Obama is fundraising in Texas, the “battleground” of the humanitarian border crisis, but he’s not visiting the border facilities. In a Tuesday morning appearance on “Fox and Friends,” Laura Ingraham said the reason is simple: It would damage his image.
“He has time to do fundraisers, and that’s fine,” Ingraham said. “He’s raising money for the midterms, but Texas is ground zero now for this humanitarian crisis. He’s the president of all the states — all 50 states. So he should, while he’s there, give the courtesy to the governor of Texas to actually engage with him on this issue. I think he’s worried about being seen in one of these detention facilities … because that could be a photo-op that would blow up in his face, and he’s worried about what that would look like, I believe. For the president to confront this face to face would be a startling picture. He doesn’t want that picture out there.”
After the White House invited Texas Gov. Rick Perry to meet the president on the tarmac upon his arrival in Texas, Perry declined. The governor said he wanted a real discussion, not a photo-op.
“I appreciate the offer to greet you at Austin-Bergstrom Airport, but a quick handshake on the tarmac will not allow for a thoughtful discussion regarding the humanitarian and national security crises enveloping the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas,” Gov. Perry wrote in response. “I would instead offer to meet with you at any time during your visit to Texas for a substantive meeting to discuss this critical issue.”
Ingraham said Perry has every right to be frustrated with the president. The gesture was typical White House behavior, trying to get a friendly photo and engaging in more “photo policy-making,” she said.
“Look, Rick Perry has been trying to get the president’s attention on this for a few years now, and a lot of people think this crisis just began a few months ago,” Ingraham said. “The outpouring or the influx, I should say, of illegal immigrants — the minor children especially — into the country, some with mothers, some unaccompanied have really been going on since last fall OK?”
While Obama is in Texas, he will be starring at a series of fundraisers. The first fundraiser will be held in Dallas. The day after, he plans on engaging in a roundtable discussion with Aimee Boone Cunningham of the Center for Reproductive Rights. Although a visit to the border facilities is still not on the agenda, Obama is set to meet with Gov. Perry on Wednesday for a “substantive” discussion, CBS News reports. (RELATED: Obama Plans To IGNORE Illegal Immigrant Children In Detention Facilities On Texas Trip)