Reiterating his stand on having strong borders, former US President Donald Trump claimed on Tuesday (local time) that millions of people are entering the country illegally.
Along with strong borders, the former president also called for "honest, free and fair" elections.
Speaking to the reporters in Londonderry City, New Hampshire, Trump said, "We have to make sure we have honest, fair and free elections and strong borders. If we don't have borders and elections, we don't have a country. And you see what's going on with the border. There has never been anything like this on the border."
"Millions and millions of people are pouring into our country illegally. Many come from prisons. A lot of terrorists are coming in. They are coming from mental institutions...it's really bad," he added.
On being asked about the condition of northern borders, the former president said that the Biden administration has done one of the "worst" jobs in the history, calling it one of the "worst tragedies" in the country's history.
"The situation at the northern border is getting bad...you have to watch both borders. The southern border is nobody has ever seen, but the northern border is bad too. They have done one of the worst jobs and this is one of the worst tragedies in the history of our country. Either they are very stupid, which I don't believe they are or they hate our country," the former president further added.
Meanwhile, the voting has started for the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday, where Trump is competing with former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley contending for the GOP nomination, aiming to challenge President Joe Biden in the November 2024 election.
Trump registered a landslide victory in Iowa caucuses winning 20 out of the 40 delegates from Iowa with 56,250 votes -- a whopping difference of over 32,000 votes.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was the distant second with eight delegates and Haley was not much behind with seven. However, the former pulling out of the White House bid has made it a two-way race at the GOP.
A CNN poll released on Sunday found Trump with 50 per cent support among likely Republican primary voters in New Hampshire, while his closest competitor, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, stood at 39 per cent.
Trump, having launched his bid in November 2022, seeks to secure a non-consecutive term, persistently denying the 2020 election outcome and facing multiple criminal charges. His potential second term promises a substantial overhaul of federal government factions and aggressive actions against political opponents, CNN reported.
On the other hand, Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, entered the presidential race in February 2023, advocating for a fresh wave of Republican leadership. Her campaign emphasises economic responsibility, national security, and border strengthening.
If successful in the primary, Haley could become the first woman and the first Asian American nominated by the GOP for president. Her political journey includes serving in the South Carolina House and making history as the state's first female governor, as reported by CNN.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
