When it comes to the southern border, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox believes both the Biden administration and Congress are “completely absent from this crisis.” In fact, he’s confident it’ll have a strong role in the outcome in the vote for president.
“It’s going to cost him [Biden] the election,” Cox told reporters in his monthly news conference. “The federal government has absolutely dropped the ball on this.”
In 2023, more than two million migrants – a record high – have interacted with patrol agents at the southern border. To Cox, the problem is “unsustainable” and all states are affected, including Utah, where resources “that we need for our homeless population, for refugees that are here legitimately” get diverted.
“We've made it so impossible for people to do it the right way that people feel they have no choice but to do it the wrong way, especially when the wrong way is quicker and easier.”
Responding to a request from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, five Utah National Guard troops and five members of the Utah Highway Patrol Criminal Indictment team are traveling to the border. The deployment will cost $150,000 which will come from the Governor’s Office Emergency fund.
If Abbott asks for further out-of-state assistance Cox said he would “have those conversations” with legislative leadership.
“If the Biden administration is not going to fill their constitutional duty and if Congress is not going to fulfill their duty, then unfortunately, the states are going to have to step up.”
He continuously emphasized that the federal government isn’t doing enough on immigration, pointing to a failed bill in Washington that would have allocated funding to the border.
“If we were to take this issue … to my Legislature right now, we could figure this out in a week or two,” Cox said. “Instead, what we end up with is a bill that is negotiated behind closed doors and then shoved on people at the last minute and told that they have to vote for it.”
Given his position on the border and how it affects Biden’s chances, the governor said he thinks former President Donald Trump will win the nomination, Utah and the general election. Cox, however, believes Americans are “making a huge mistake” by nominating Trump or Biden for either party.
“We should be nominating different people,” he said. “I think the party that figures this out first and nominates someone else, although that may be four years from now, is going to clean up in a big way. I think they could win by some historical margins if either party nominated someone else.”
Cox shared a story about a voicemail he got from a friend whose father is in his 80s and struggling. He called it very sweet and the wise wisdom of an octogenarian.
“And the message was this,” Cox continued. “‘We should not have a president who is in their 80s. I'm in my 80s, and I'm just telling you, we should not be running the country right now.’”
Regardless of who wins the election, the governor, who is known for his optimistic disposition, is confident the country will make it through OK. We made it through the last two presidents and we’ll make it through the next four years because “we're stronger than any single individual person.”
“I believe that the answers to what ails America are found right here in the state of Utah,” Cox said in conclusion. “I'm proud of who we are. I'm proud of what we stand for. And the nation would be better off if they were more like Utah.”
