Democrats aren’t going to make things easy for Trump.
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, announced on Monday that she is willing to collaborate with President-elect Donald Trump when he assumes office in January. However, she made it clear that she would not accept policies that she believes would harm Arizona communities, specifically taking issue with Trump’s plans for mass deportations.
During a press conference, Hobbs emphasized her commitment to working with the incoming administration on border security. “I will work with the Trump administration to continue efforts on border security,” she stated. However, when asked about Trump’s proposal for widespread deportations, Hobbs firmly rejected the idea. She argued that such approaches would not contribute to the safety of Arizona communities. “I will not tolerate misguided policies that do not help with the critical work needed to keep our communities secure,” Hobbs said. “I will not tolerate terrorizing communities or threatening Arizonans.”
Meanwhile, President-elect Trump has signaled his intention to take aggressive action on immigration once in office, including using military resources to carry out mass deportations. Trump responded affirmatively to a post from Tom Fitton, president of the conservative group Judicial Watch, who suggested the incoming administration could declare a national emergency to combat illegal immigration and reverse the “Biden invasion.” Trump’s team has reiterated that the president-elect plans to use every tool available to remove illegal immigrants, criminals, drug dealers, and human traffickers from the country.
Despite her disagreements with Trump on certain issues, Hobbs declared that she would continue to work across the aisle for the benefit of Arizonans. “To the cartels and bad actors seeking to harm our communities, my message is clear: Arizona stands united against you,” she said.
Arizona remains a critical battleground state, with Trump narrowly losing it to Biden in 2020 but winning it by more than 5 points in his 2016 race. In the 2022 gubernatorial race, Hobbs won by a slim margin of less than one percentage point against Republican Kari Lake. This year, Lake lost her Senate bid to Democrat Ruben Gallego.
