Obama Rejects Trump's Depiction Of An America In Crisis
WASHINGTON (CBSNewYork/CBS News/AP)-- President Barack Obama fiercely rejected Donald Trump's depiction of an America in crisis, arguing that violent crime and illegal immigration have plunged under his leadership to their lowest rates in decades.
Looking toward November's election, Obama said: "We're not going to make good decisions based on fears that don't have a basis in fact.''
At a news conference Friday alongside Mexico's president, Obama sought to undermine two pillars of Trump's Thursday night acceptance speech of the Republican presidential nomination.
Obama is dismissing any perceptions that the country is on the "verge of collapse.''
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"I did not watch the convention -- I don't think that's a surprise," Mr. Obama said, as reported by CBS News, "I did read some of what was said. The one thing that I think is important to recognize is this idea that America is somehow on the verge of collapse -- this vision of violence and chaos everywhere doesn't really jive with the experience of most people."
Regarding Trump's remarks on illegal immigration in the states, Obama said that the rate of illegal migration today "lower by two-thirds than it was when Ronald Reagan was president."
"We have far fewer undocumented workers crossing the border today than we did in the 80s, in the 90s, or when George Bush was president," he said. "That's a fact."
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