Trump defends controversial comments about immigrants poisoning the nation’s blood at Iowa rally

By HANNAH FINGERHUT and ALI SWENSON
Associated Press

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Former President Donald Trump is defending his comments about migrants crossing the southern border, who he had said are poisoning the blood of America. He said at a campaign rally in Waterloo, Iowa, on Tuesday that he had not read “Mein Kampf,” referencing Adolf Hitler’s fascist manifesto. He reiterated his “blood” purity comments from over the weekend and said immigrants in the U.S. illegally are “destroying the blood of our country.” Trump has faced mounting criticism for his intensifying rhetoric but is not shying away from it as he seeks to make immigration policy a key piece of his second-term agenda.