Trump hits Biden over handling of border in new ad

Former President Trump’s campaign attacked President Biden over his handling of the border in an ad released Thursday, arguing the Biden administration’s policies have allowed terrorists and fentanyl to enter the United States.

The new 30-second spot, entitled “Burning Down,” cites an ABC News article saying U.S. officials warned members from the militant group Hamas could potentially try crossing into the country.

“While the world burns, Joe Biden has created a violent threat in our own backyard. Biden’s open border has opened the floodgates to record numbers, including terrorists, fentanyl traffickers, and raises the possibility of a Hamas attack,” the ad says.

Biden has faced attacks from Republicans over his handling of the border, and his immigration problems are growing, most recently with a migrant caravan making its way from Mexico’s border with Guatemala this week.

The Trump campaign ad touted the former president’s promises to secure the border and to build a wall on the southern border.

“President Trump had our borders secured and he’ll do it again by building even more wall and stopping people from terrorist countries from ever entering,” the ad says.

Trump promised to build a wall on the border and to have Mexico pay for it during his 2016 campaign for the White House. Trump was able to get some of the wall constructed, though the project as envisioned remains uncompleted. Mexico did not pay for the wall.

Border security is a major issue for Biden heading into 2024 as Republicans will work to highlight the influx of migrants at the southern border.

The ad comes as  Biden is polling slightly behind Trump in a hypothetical head-to-head match-up, with the aggregation of polls kept by Decision Desk HQ and The Hill showing Trump with a lead of 1.9 percentage points.

The White House was engaged in bipartisan Senate negotiations over securing the southern border earlier this month, but they fizzled out when Congress broke for the holiday recess. The president’s willingness to work with Republicans on the issue angered some Democrats and immigration advocates, who feared proposals would be too strict to appeal to moderate and independent voters.