CNN’s Camerota, Matt Schlapp clash over migrant caravan: Will migrants ‘get a luxury car?’

CNN anchor Alisyn Camerota and Matt Schlapp, the chairman of the American Conservative Union, on Monday got in a heated debate while discussing the migrant caravan that is moving toward the U.S.-Mexico border.

Camerota accused President Trump of needing to have a “fact check” on his rhetoric on immigration as the midterms approach, noting that the president joked at a rally on Friday that Democrats will soon want to give out cars to immigrants who enter the country illegally.

{mosads}“Next thing you know, they’ll want to buy ‘em a car,” Trump said, adding that maybe it will be a Rolls-Royce “made not in America so I hope that’s not what we do.”

Camerota, a frequent critic of the administration, took issue with those statements.

“It would be helpful, as we approach the midterms, for the president of the United States to use facts,” said Camerota. “And when he doesn’t we have to fact check him.”

“He’s wrong about a lot of stuff with the caravan, he’s wrong about immigration,” Camerota said.

Schlapp disagreed with the characterization saying the president has “proven to be durably correct” about the U.S. immigration system.

“Actually, Donald Trump has proven to be durably correct that our immigration system is completely broken,” Schlapp said. “If you come to the border today with a child, doesn’t even have to be your child, you will get entrance into our country. You will jump the line.”

Camerota interrupted to ask about Trump’s car comments.

“Will you get a luxury car?” she asked.

Schlapp responded to Camerota’s question by trying to list things immigrants gain by entering the U.S. as Camerota repeated her question.

“You get ObamaCare, you get a telephone, you get all kinds of things,” he said. “I don’t know about a car. I haven’t heard about a car. But I mean you get all kinds of programs—”

Camerota interrupted again and asked about Trump’s rhetoric accusing Democrats of being behind funding of the caravan.

“Matt, you don’t get a Rolls-Royce. You don’t get a luxury car,” she said, interrupting him. “George Soros doesn’t meet you at the border handing out millions of dollars. All of this stuff —”

“Who’s paying for the caravan?” Schlapp interrupted. 

“Come on,” she said.

“Alisyn, who’s paying for the caravan?” he repeated. “I’d like to know. I think you should put a reporter on it. Who’s paying for it?”

“Oh, we have a reporter on it, let me answer your question,” Camerota said. “No one is paying for the caravan. Poor people are marching 2700—”

“Nope,” Schlapp said, shaking his head.

“— 2700 miles, Matt,” Camerota finished.

“Alisyn, nobody in their right mind thinks that four or five thousand people spontaneously got together, met on a corner in Guatemala, and decided to take this long trip as you just described,” he said. “This is a very harrowing trip. It takes huge logistical support.”

The two continued to spar, with Schlapp arguing that the border is in chaos and that Trump’s positions on immigration are why he has made gains in his approval rating.

Camerota argued that the system is not in chaos and that far less people are being granted asylum than Schlapp claimed.