Trump demonizes migrants in dark, misleading speech

Aurora, United States: Donald Trump painted an apocalyptic picture of a country occupied by hordes of criminal foreigners in a campaign speech Frida...

Aurora, United States: Donald Trump painted an apocalyptic picture of a country "occupied" by hordes of criminal foreigners in a campaign speech Friday as he escalated his efforts to make November's US election about a migrant crime wave that isn't happening.

With the White House race neck-and-neck in the final stretch, the Republican ex-president has been dividing his closing pitch between a protectionist economic message and riling his largely white, working class supporters by demonizing immigrants.

As his Democratic election rival Kamala Harris pledged to work with Republicans to promote united government, Trump delivered as divisive a speech as he has ever given, wildly exaggerating local tensions and misleading his audience about immigration statistics and policy.

"America is known, all throughout the world, as 'Occupied America.' They call it 'occupied.' We're being occupied by a criminal force," Trump thundered, in an 80-minute appearance in Aurora, Colorado focused almost entirely on immigration.

"But to everyone here in Colorado and all across our nation, I make this pledge and vow to you: November 5, 2024 will be Liberation Day in America," he added, flanked by posters of foreign suspected criminals.