Trump attacks 'autopen president' Biden and 'great divider' Obama during 'Shield of the Americas' meet

Addressing the nation after unveiling a new national security and immigration initiative called 'The Shield of the Americas', President Donald Trump used the stage to criticize his predecessors, Joe Biden and Barack Obama, accusing them of failing to control illegal immigration in the country. Trump drew a direct parallel between a "failed" immigration policy and increasing crime rates. He, however, lauded his administration for being able to bring immigration-related crime down in the country.

Speaking to a crowd of supporters and world leaders, Trump framed his new policy framework as a necessary correction to what he described as years of systemic administrative failure and unchecked border crossings. "We have the lowest murder rate in 125 years," Trump claimed, before pivoting to criticize the former presidents. "Hard to believe because I don't know, it's, you know, we allowed, we've got a lot of amount, but we allowed through the Biden policies," the President said before labelling Biden the “autopen” president.

"And Obama, who was another terrible President, by the way, Barack Hussein Obama, terrible President," Trump continued, directing his attack towards the 44th US President. "He was a divider. Great divider. I call him the great divider," Trump added. Turning his attention to the previous administration's handling of the executive branch, Trump alleged that unelected aides managed the country's affairs during Biden's term. "But they allowed a lot of people into our country that shouldn't be here," Trump said, adding, "But in particular Biden, because Biden had no idea what he was doing. He had no clue. It was being run by whoever got near the autopen was running the country. He was the autopen president."

President Trump launched the 'Shield of the Americas' initiative on March 7, intending to establish a multinational alliance targeted at dismantling drug cartels and transnational criminal organizations across the Western Hemisphere. Announced during a summit at the Trump National Doral, the President's personal resort in Miami, Florida, the initiative unites the U.S. with other Latin American nations, including Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, and Trinidad and Tobago, among others. To lead this effort, President Trump appointed Kristi Noem, who was recently removed from her position as DHS Secretary, as the Special Envoy. 

"The President has successfully strengthened our relationships in our own backyard to make the entire region safer and more stable, and this weekend's 'Shield of the Americas' Summit will encapsulate all of his work to Make America, and our partners, Strong Again," White House Spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement, adding, "After years of neglect, President Trump established the 'Donroe Doctrine' to restore American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere."