Trump Campaign Senior Policy Advisor Stephen Miller addressed Friday why immigration and trade are key issues in the Republican frontrunner’s campaign.

Continue Reading Below

“Well, there is very little right about our trade deals, there is virtually nothing right about our trade deals. We’ve been getting taken to the cleaners by every country we trade with. We have a trade deficit with almost all of our major trading partners. If you look at, for instance, say Japan, and our car trading deficit, or you look at China, where we have hundreds of billions of dollars in trade deficits, so our entire trade policy needs to be retooled,” Miller told the FOX Business Network’s Maria Bartiromo.

Miller then weighed in on some of the changes the Donald would make if elected president and how his plan differs from that of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.

“One major change we have to make, is to stop foreign currency cheating, the devaluation of foreign currencies to put American companies out of business. And that is a big difference in this race. Ted Cruz has voted consistently to protect China and protect China’s ability to devalue their currency. Donald Trump has pledged to crack down on currency. So a vote for Ted Cruz really is a vote to offshore American jobs to China.” said Miller.

Miller then pushed back on the concept that current trade policies make products cheaper for Americans.

“The results of our current trade policy are in and they are an epic failure. Look at Detroit, which has been completely deindustrialized and look at Shanghai which has been completely built up at the expense of the American workers. But with respect to the price of goods, keep in mind, when we ship all these jobs overseas, it drives down wages in America, it drives down the standard of living. And so the real cost of goods goes up. By comparison, if you bring these jobs back to America, you create good paying, middle-class, manufacturing jobs and incomes go up, the real price of goods goes down. So, you’re really not saving anybody any money by sending our entire middle class overseas.”

Miller also argued that the establishment politicians trying to fight Trump’s nomination want to maintain current trade and immigration policies.

“There is an all-out effort to stop Donald Trump from the establishment power brokers. The question we have to ask is ‘why?’ And the answer is that the failed political class is trying to hold onto power. And what do I mean by that? The people who have authored our terrible trade deals, the people responsible for our disastrous immigration policies, the people who’ve put us into war after war in the Middle East. All these people want to stop Donald Trump so things can stay exactly as they are right now.”

Miller then weighed in on the impact of current immigration policy on American workers.

“Immigration policy is about who could enter the U.S., who could live in the U.S., who could work and be part of the U.S. democracy. And right now our policy is anybody can come in, no screening, no checks, no rules – and who pays the price? American workers struggling to make ends meet, struggling to provide for their families.”