President Donald Trump said the criminal justice system is a “joke” and blamed Democrats for Tuesday’s attack that killed eight people in Manhattan, saying they “do not want to do what is right for the country.”
“We have to get much tougher, much smarter, and much less politically correct. We’re so politically correct we’re afraid to do anything,” Trump complained at Wednesday’s White House photo op with his cabinet.
A 29-year-old Uzbek native who came to this country in 2010 is in custody after mowing down pedestrians and bicyclists with a rental truck, on a 20-block stretch of a bike path in Lower Manhattan. In addition to the eight fatalities, 13 people were injured, some critically.
Promising the country will “never ever forget the beautiful lives that have been taken from us,” Trump the next day told reporters, “we have to come up with punishment that is far quicker and far greater than these animals are getting right now.”
“We need quick justice and strong justice, much quicker and stronger than we have now. What we have right now is a joke, and it’s a laughing stock. No wonder so much of this stuff takes place.”
Trump vowed to begin the process of terminating the so-called Diversity Lottery Program of immigration. “It sounds nice. It’s not nice. It’s not good,” Trump scoffed.
“We want a merit-based program, where people come into the country based on merit,” Trump said.
The President also vowed to get rid of “chain migration.”
“This man who came in with him brought in other people. He was the primary point of contact for 23 people that came in, potentially came in with him. And that is not acceptable,” Trump said.
“I am asking Congress to start working on it immediately,” he said.
Trump complained “we have a lot of good bills…but they’re being stopped by Democrats because they’re obstructionists.”
“Honestly, they don’t want to do what is right for our country,” Trump complained.
Source: Deadline