Trump Stokes Immigration Fears; Trump Accused of Tweeting Racist Ad.
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.</s>JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper. We begin with breaking news in the politics lead and a closing argument from President Trump, one that is inflammatory and divisive and based in fear. And that's according to Republicans. Quote: "Let's face it. We all know what's happening." That's what Republican Senator Bob Corker told the "Tennessean" newspaper about President Trump's mid-term election focus on undocumented immigrants coming into the U.S. Corker adding -- quote -- "It's all about revving up the base, using fear to stimulate people to come out at the polls." Now, we're five days out from the midterm elections, President Trump clearly feeling the pressure to keep Republican control of the House and Senate, and he's returning to familiar, divisive territory. In minutes, the president is expected to speak from the White House about undocumented immigrants. We're going to bring that to you live. We're likely going to see then what we have been seeing escalate over the last few days and weeks, President Trump using the very kind of inflammatory rhetoric that he used to launch his presidential campaign back in 2015, demonizing undocumented immigrants.</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They are bringing drugs. They are bringing crime. They are rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.</s>TAPPER: This time, this election, President Trump launched most recently an ad. It's pinned to the top of his Twitter account right now. It's an ad that even some conservative commentators have called racist. Republican Senator Jeff Flake said of the ad -- quote -- "This is just a new low in campaigning. It's sickening." The ad features a Mexican man who was convicted in the killing of two California sheriff's deputies, contrasting the words and actions of that murderer, who has been sentenced to death, incidentally, with footage of the caravan, of migrants who are currently attempting to reach the United States to seek asylum, the clear implication being that this caravan, these people fleeing their home countries, are all criminals and they are all seeking to commit horrific crimes. The president continuing to push this campaign of fear comes literally within days of that horrific murder at the Pittsburgh synagogue, where an anti-Semite slaughtered 11 Jews because he believed the right-wing propaganda he had been hearing, such as the lies that this caravan of migrants poses an existential threat to the United States and is being funded by Jews such as George Soros. It's a claim, by the way, that the president continues to lend credence to.</s>QUESTION: Do you think anybody is paying for the caravan?</s>TRUMP: I wouldn't be surprised. Yes, I wouldn't be surprised.</s>QUESTION: George Soros?</s>TRUMP: I don't know who. But I wouldn't be surprised. A lot of people say yes.</s>TAPPER: "A lot of people say yes," that Soros is behind the caravan. And while only the gunman is responsible for his actions, and we should point out the gunman was not a fan of the president. He thought Trump was too controlled by Jews. The gunman was clearly motivated by this false propaganda, this idea that this caravan of migrants seeking asylum poses this existential crisis and this national security threat to the U.S., which it does not, according to national security experts. Now, is illegal immigration a problem that our leaders need to solve? Absolutely. But what it is not is an invasion. And those who have reported on the caravan from Central America, they say it consists overwhelmingly of people who are fleeing violence, not criminals seeking to inflict it here in the U.S., which is clearly the picture that the president paints.</s>TRUMP: They got a lot of rough people in those caravans. They are not angels. They can't invade our country. You look at that and it almost looks like an invasion. It really does look like an invasion. That's called an invasion of our country.</s>TAPPER: It's not called an invasion of our country. It is remarkable that with bodies still being buried in Pittsburgh because of this bigotry, this propaganda and these lies, that the president and his campaign would take actions not to heal the nation, not to bridge divisions, but to fuel the fire. CNN's Kaitlan Collins joins me now live from the White House. And, Kaitlan, the president is making his closing argument, and he clearly believes undocumented immigrants, stopping them from entering the U.S., even stopping those who are legally seeking asylum in the U.S., that's one of the most important issues for his base. What are we expecting to hear from him in just minutes?</s>KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jake, we're expecting to hear him change essentially or propose changing how we do asylum in the United States, not just how you apply for asylum, but whether or not you can apply. We are told by sources that the president wants to deny asylum to people who try to cross the border illegally and not at a port of entry. Right now, if you're caught crossing the border illegally, you can still apply for asylum, and President Trump wants to bring that to an end. But, Jake, we're going to learn more about what this proposal is here in a few minutes, but what this is, is just another addition to the president's already long list of changes he wants to make and changes he's proposing because he wants immigration to be front and center in the midterm elections on Tuesday.</s>COLLINS (voice-over): President Trump preparing to make his final pitch to voters from the White House today, pushing immigration and playing up fear just five days before voters go to the polls. Sources tell CNN Trump will propose new changes for asylum-seekers coming to the United States, adding one more thing to the list he's used to whip up his Republican base before Tuesday. In the final weeks, the president has not only claimed he will end birthright citizenship, but also promised to deploy up to 15,000 troops to the southern border to stop a caravan weeks away, build tent cities for those seeking asylum, and even tweeted a campaign ad showing an undocumented immigrant bragging about killing police officers.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I will break out soon and I will kill more.</s>COLLINS: That tweet is considered an official White House statement.</s>TRUMP: But we're getting prepared for the caravan, folks. You don't have to worry about that.</s>COLLINS: The president back in campaign mode this week, delivering a scorching message last night in Florida, hoping to amplify voters' fears about immigration.</s>TRUMP: And they have got a lot of rough people in those caravans. They are not angels. They are not.</s>COLLINS: Trump trying to make a caravan of Central American migrants the central issue in the midterms.</s>TRUMP: A Democrat victory on Election Day would be a bright flashing invitation to traffickers, smugglers, drug dealers and gang members all over the world, come on in.</s>COLLINS: In an interview that same night, Trump claiming to ABC News that the caravan is bigger than people think and mostly made up of young men.</s>TRUMP: They can't invade our country.</s>COLLINS: But the president provided zero evidence to back up his claims, which he made despite reports showing the caravan has dwindled in size from 7,000 to 3,500.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "Help us and not be against us," she says.</s>COLLINS: And includes men, women and children fleeing violence and poverty. Trump, who said this on the campaign trail in 2016:</s>TRUMP: I will never lie to you.</s>COLLINS: Was asked if he's kept that promise.</s>TRUMP: I do try, and I always want to tell the truth. When I can, I tell the truth. Sometimes, it is turns out where something happens, it's different or there's a change, but I always like to be truthful.</s>COLLINS: He said he tries to tell the truth when he can, Jake. President Trump is taking this message on the road tonight. He's got a rally in Missouri, and then he has got nine more stops to deliver that same fiery rhetoric before voters go to the polls on Tuesday -- Jake.</s>TAPPER: All right, Kaitlan Collins at the White House. And, obviously, when President Trump comes out and delivers his address, we will bring that to you live. But, until then, let's talk about the president's closing argument with our panel. Let's just go around the table. What do you make of it? Could it work?</s>JEN PSAKI, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, it stinks of desperation, but it could work. That is what should scare the country.</s>TAPPER: How could it work? Do you think he could win -- keep the House and Senate?</s>PSAKI: I don't think he can keep the House. I think -- obviously we need people to get out and vote, but I think that's going to be hard for Republicans. But he's trying to keep the Senate. He's trying to suppress voters. That's clear. He's closing with a very cynical argument, saying to people if you elect Democrats, then there are going to be Latino rapists and murderers who come across the border. And he's trying to scare not people on the border, but white America who are in the middle of the country who, are -- you know, some may be more susceptible to some of these fear tactics.</s>TAPPER: What do you think?</s>AMANDA CARPENTER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I'm more hung up on his actions than his argument. He's talking about sending up to 15,000 troops to the border based on a threat that is false, 15,000 troops to stop a caravan that's mostly harmless, as far as we know. That's a concern, and I have a real problem with that. We have been fighting wars with these troops. If you're a military family, do you want your mother or brother or father to be away based on a false threat? I mean, this to me is just a massive hoax. But now there's troops behind it. And I am fearful of what happens if something goes wrong. What happens if someone in Mexico thinks those troops are going to start shooting guns? They are not there yet, but what other signal is he sending? This is very dangerous.</s>TAPPER: What do you make of this? Why not close an argument with how great the economy is doing? That's...</s>ADOLFO FRANCO, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, the economy is doing great. There's no question about that.</s>TAPPER: Yes.</s>FRANCO: I guess we're all on different planets. I view the president's actions as being quite consistent. This was the president's message since 2015, when he was a candidate. Immigration was at his core concern. That's first. Secondly, by the way, the troops are backing up the Border Patrol and so forth.</s>CARPENTER: Sure, at this moment, but what do you need 15,000 for? Are they playing games, or are we serious?</s>FRANCO: Well, as Secretary Mattis says, we don't play games.</s>CARPENTER: I hope not.</s>FRANCO: But let me go quickly to, if you will, the message here is, I see it very differently. I think those images of thousands of people that are potentially going to come across the border is frightening to a lot of Americans. They are to me. I'm Latino, and I believe for this reason. I believe this is a country of immigration, but not illegal immigration; 75 percent of those individuals, according to the deputy director of the Border Patrol, are men. We have gang problems in this country.</s>SYMONE SANDERS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Are you literally suggesting because they are men they cannot be honestly seeking asylum? This is dangerous territory.</s>SANDERS: And you made the point, just because you're a Latino does not -- is not a qualifying factor for this message is not racist or rooted in white supremacy.</s>FRANCO: There was comments earlier it was appealing to white America and so forth.</s>SANDERS: It does.</s>FRANCO: But it appeals I think to all Americans the message, which is, this is a country of laws, this is a country of respect for sovereignty of the border. The fact of the matter is, we don't know who all these people are, and even if there are five or 10 or 100, why would we want those...</s>TAPPER: We have to sneak in a break. We're not -- this is not the last that we are going to have this conversation. I will come to you next. We're just moments away from President Trump speaking live about immigration. Don't go anywhere. We are going to bring that to you live, and then we will have lots of conversation.