Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13), now a 2020 presidential hopeful, placed the fault for the current migrant crisis squarely on the shoulders of President Donald Trump Sunday, stating that “the president has caused it” by being “lazy.”
The nine-term congressman made the statement during a wide-ranging interview with Kasie Hunt on MSNBC. Hunt asked specifically if there was a migrant “crisis” on the border, and Ryan replied by stating:
It is [a crisis], and I think that the president has caused it, to be quite honest with you. He has failed to address the issues in Central America. Quite frankly, the president is lazy. He doesn’t read his presidential daily briefing. He ignored this problem. We want presidents to deal with the root of problems. Central America is a mess, and we are doing nothing to stabilize that region.
Other Democratic legislators have been hesitant to label the current issues at the Mexico-U.S. border a “crisis,” opting instead to call it a “challenge.”
"Quite frankly the president is lazy"@TimRyan says the president helped cause the humanitarian crisis at the border with Mexico. pic.twitter.com/nT95qXxho7
— Way Too Early with Jonathan Lemire (@WayTooEarly) April 15, 2019
Ryan went on to state that issues such as Trump’s inability to fill ambassadorships to key Central and South American countries are exacerbating the problems. President Trump has reportedly expressed his own frustration over several ambassador posts going unfilled, but has cited the Democrats “dragging their feet” and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) failing to schedule key votes as the reason.
When asked how he would address the crisis, Ryan stated that the nation did need comprehensive immigration reform,.
“We can be both strong on border security — and I would say I’ll be stronger than President Trump is and a lot smarter than him,” Ryan said, but claimed he would do so in a more “compassionate” manner.
In a survey conducted Monday by Emerson Polling, Ryan is currently polling at 1 percent among 2020 Democratic contenders. Despite only being in the race since April, he is polling higher than five other candidates who are currently at zero percent. However, “Someone Else” is currently polling at 2 percent, while Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is leading at 29 percent.
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Andrew Shirley is a reporter at Battleground State News and The Ohio Star. Send tips to [email protected].
Photo “Tim Ryan” by MSNBC.
