Trump Hails DHS Head Nielsen For ‘Fabulous Job’ at Presser, Says Border Laws Are ‘Obsolete & Nasty’
President Donald Trump hailed Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen on Tuesday night for her performance at the White House press briefing defending the administration’s border policy.
Nielsen engaged with a fired up press corps on Tuesday amidst a public outcry over Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy that separates migrant children from their families at the southern border. It wasn’t pretty.
Trump praised Nielsen nonetheless in a tweet sent out Tuesday, saying she “did a fabulous job yesterday at the press conference explaining security at the border and for our country, while at the same time recommending changes to obsolete & nasty laws, which force family separation.”
“We want ‘heart’ and security in America!” he added.
Homeland Security @SecNielsen did a fabulous job yesterday at the press conference explaining security at the border and for our country, while at the same time recommending changes to obsolete & nasty laws, which force family separation. We want “heart” and security in America!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 20, 2018
The current border crisis began in April, after Trump’s Attorney General Jeff Sessions promised to prosecute first time border crossers, thereby sending their children to detention centers.
As reporter Yashar Ali noted, the tweet marks something of a turnaround for Nielsen who, per reports, has been trashed by the president in front of other officials. It was reported last month that she was considering resigning after a lashing from Trump.
Nielsen, who has been castigated by Trump repeatedly in front of other top White House Officials, gets some public praise. Trump has also been deeply mistrustful of her because of her previous ties to the Bush family. https://t.co/SQsz2YN0il
— Yashar Ali ? (@yashar) June 20, 2018
[image via screengrab]
—
Follow Aidan McLaughlin (@aidnmclaughlin) on Twitter
Have a tip we should know? tips@mediaite.com
