Biden Calls on Trump to Back Border Bill: 'Join Me'

President Joe Biden on Thursday called on former President Donald Trump to "join" him in an effort to pass the bipartisan border bill that stalled in Congress after the ex-president urged the GOP to block it, as Biden also asked Republicans in Congress to "show a little spine" for their constituents. Trump said Biden has "blood on his hands."

Biden—speaking to a crowd of U.S. Border Patrol and other officials during a visit to the southern border in Brownsville, Texas—challenged Republicans to "show a little spine" by backing the bill. He then directly addressed Trump, who was delivering a rival speech alongside Republican Governor Greg Abbott at the border in Eagle Pass, Texas.

"Join me," Biden said. "Or I'll join you in telling the Congress to pass this bipartisan border security bill. We can do it together. You know and I know, it's the toughest, most efficient, most effective border security bill this country's ever seen."

The Context

Republicans blocked a $118 billion bill that included $20 billion for securing the U.S.-Mexico border and immigration policy changes earlier this month. After a group of bipartisan lawmakers spent months crafting the legislation, it failed in the Senate when it became clear that Republicans would no longer support it.

While the bill previously seemed on course to become law, it failed after Trump warned that it would be "a great gift to the Democrats, and a Death Wish for The Republican Party." Biden and other critics quickly accused the president of playing political games by attempting to worsen the situation on the border to bolster his chances of winning November's presidential election.

Immigration, which has become a major election issue, was front and center on Thursday as the incumbent president and his likely Republican opponent gave speeches on the southern border.

What We Know

Biden said on Thursday that the bill was "a win for the American people" and had been supported by "the majority of Democrats and Republicans" in Congress "until someone came along and said, 'don't do that, it will benefit the incumbent.'"

"It's time for the speakers and some of my Republican friends in Congress who are blocking this bill to show a little spine," Biden said. "Let's remember who we work for, for God's sake, we work for the American people."

"Here's what I would say to Mr. Trump," he continued. "Instead of playing politics with this issue, instead of telling members of Congress to block this legislation, join me ... why don't we just get together and get it done?"

Views

"Crooked Joe Biden has blood on his hands as his Biden Migrant Crisis has led to deaths, assaults, and destruction in communities across America," Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung said in an email to Newsweek following a request for comment on Biden's offer to the former president.

While Republicans have consistently blamed Biden for record numbers of illegal U.S.-Mexico border crossings during his administration, the president is not alone in suggesting that Trump asked Republicans to block the bipartisan bill in hopes of worsening the situation at the border for his own political benefit.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, who announced he would not bring the bill to a vote before details of the legislation were released, insisted that Trump was "not calling the shots" when grilled on his sudden opposition during an appearance on NBC News' Meet the Press days before the bill died in the Senate.

Fox News Chief Political Analyst Brit Hume warned during a broadcast earlier this month that the GOP stance meant that Republicans were "in danger of losing the advantage they have vis à vis Biden on the issue of the border" because they are refusing to back a bill "that would deal with that."

What's Next

There have been indications of a recent reduction in the number of illegal U.S.-Mexico border crossings. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released statistics earlier this month that showed that land encounters with migrants along the border were halved in January from a record high in the previous month.

Meanwhile, the chances of Biden succeeding in his push to pass bipartisan border legislation may remain slim prior to November's presidential election. Trump, who has urged Republicans in Congress to not compromise and block any bill that he does not view as "perfect," seems unlikely to reverse course and join forces with the incumbent president.

Update 02/29/24 7:16 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.