TEXT JOIN TO 77022

Biden’s Shameless Makeover as a Border Wall Champion

If there is one thing that has garnered near unanimous support from those on the Left—aside from their fanatical loathing of Donald Trump—it is their opposition to a wall on our southern border. It defines them and scratches their itch for proclaiming their moral superiority over their political opponents. For those seeking the support of these people for a political candidacy at any level the last few years, opposition to the wall has been one of the most crucial litmus tests.

Imagine the disappointment and anger among rank-and-file social justice warriors at the news that Joe Biden’s Department of Homeland Security has been discreetly filling in gaps along the border wall in the Yuma Sector of Arizona. In their world, this is not just a shift in policy, but a betrayal of decency and light and an embrace of wickedness.

One of two things is likely going on here. Despite its total mismanagement of the country these last 18 months, the Biden White House might have at least a few advisors with a semblance of concern for the consequences of their policies. These advisors, unlike the rest of their co-workers, may actually care for the good of the country. They have witnessed the catastrophe at our border and have urged for some kind of deterrence to be implemented before the situation becomes an irreversible humanitarian crisis on a level far higher than it is currently.

The other scenario could be that someone in the White House, despite its general dismissal of polls showing Biden at record levels of disapproval, has realized there is good reason to be terrified that its record of far-Left governance and failure will be poison in the upcoming midterm elections. Desperate for a fig leaf to claim it is actually moderate, this White House will point to the wall construction as evidence that it is driven by practical concerns and not appeasement of its fringe radical supporters.

Anyone who has followed Biden over the years knows that the truth is in the second scenario. Despite being a mediocrity at almost everything, Biden has been a nonpareil political opportunist. He will change positions on a dime, at least temporarily, if it will allow him to live another day politically.

In the long climb to his current lofty perch in the federal government, Biden has gone along with virtually every radical Left position, especially when it comes to immigration and the wall. In 2019 he wrote—or more accurately, his name was placed on the byline of—a commentary in the Miami Herald where he vilified Donald Trump’s immigration policies as “racist” and said that “build the wall” was a “slogan divorced from reality.”

This is the same politician who, while pandering to Latino voters in a crowded primary field in 2019, urged all foreign nationals seeking asylum to “surge the border.” And they did. Today he builds wall sections to keep those same people out. 

When confronted with this obvious hypocrisy, the Biden White House twists itself into a logical pretzel to explain the unexplainable. Not-ready-for-prime-time press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre denied the administration is finishing Trump’s wall, instead saying “we are cleaning up the mess the prior administration made. We are trying to save lives.”

The absurdity of this response raises more questions than it answers. If building the wall in the first place was a mess, how are you cleaning it up by building more wall? If building the wall saves lives, why have your boss and his fellow travelers viciously attacked the very idea of a wall for years? To press for coherent answers to these questions is as futile as trying to nail Jell-O to a wall.

Throughout his long Senate career, Biden gave a lot of speeches but never had to bear the burden of leading a nation and taking responsibility for making tough decisions. Now that the consequences of his bad immigration policies are clear for all to see, he is trying to quickly re-invent himself as a champion of the border wall he never was and never will be.

This shameless attempt at political sleight-of-hand should be rejected by the American people as the desperate, cynical act it is. Biden inherited a stable and improving border situation, and set it on fire to please his radical benefactors. He should not be allowed to escape blame for this.

Get the news corporate media won't tell you.

Get caught up on today's must read stores!

By submitting your information, you agree to receive exclusive AG+ content, including special promotions, and agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms. By providing your phone number and checking the box to opt in, you are consenting to receive recurring SMS/MMS messages, including automated texts, to that number from my short code. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply HELP for help, STOP to end. SMS opt-in will not be sold, rented, or shared.

About Brian Lonergan

Brian Lonergan is an adjunct fellow of the Center for American Greatness and director of communications at the Immigration Reform Law Institute, and co-host of IRLI’s “No Border, No Country” podcast.

Photo: iStock/GETTY IMAGES

Content created by the Center for American Greatness, Inc. is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a significant audience. For licensing opportunities for our original content, please contact licensing@centerforamericangreatness.com.