President Donald Trump defended Immigration and Customs Enforcement and attacked former President Joe Biden's border policies Tuesday when asked whether immigration enforcement was raising beef-processing costs in Kansas, leaving the question about prices unanswered.
During a White House gathering of technology executives on Sept. 29, Trump praised immigration officers for removing people he described as violent criminals and "the worst people on earth." His response offered no explanation of whether enforcement had affected meatpacking operations, labor availability or consumer costs.
The exchange came amid reports that some businesses in southwest Kansas had temporarily closed because their owners feared immigration operations. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has said ICE is not conducting worksite operations in the state.
Those accounts concern different aspects of the situation: Mullin's statement addressed enforcement activity, while the reports described businesses reacting to fears of it. Neither account establishes that ICE operations caused beef prices to rise.
The reporter raised that economic question as journalists sought Trump's attention during the meeting. "The price for beef processing, Mr. President, and they're bringing up prices, Mr. President. Any comment on your ICE enforcement bringing up prices?" she asked.
"ICE has done a phenomenal job in keeping our people safe," Trump responded. He went on to praise officers for removing people he called "murderers, rapists, drug dealers," before turning to allegations about the previous administration.
Trump claimed that 25 million people entered under Biden without adequate screening and that his administration had removed most of the most dangerous individuals. The reports provided no evidence substantiating that figure or his assertion about how many dangerous people had been deported.
He then directed his criticism toward Democrats. "Why did you allow them into our country? You disturbed our country. You hurt our country," Trump said.
Footage of the exchange circulated on X after airing live on Newsmax. One viewer described Trump as "twitching in anger," a characterization that became a focus of online discussion but remained an interpretation of his movements rather than an established account of his emotional state.
Another critical viewer disputed that description, writing: "I don't see twitching anger. I see the usual BS blaming of everyone else but himself." The disagreement underscored that even those criticizing his answer did not interpret his demeanor uniformly.
In Kansas, approximately 150 people gathered in downtown Great Bend to express concerns about what they believed was immigration enforcement activity. Reports of the gathering and temporary business closures described community anxiety, without resolving the reporter's question about beef-processing expenses.
Trump had convened executives from OpenAI, Anthropic, Nvidia, SpaceX, Meta and Google for a discussion centered on technology. He called the meeting "an extraordinary gathering" and described the participants as "building America's Golden Age," while referring to artificial intelligence as "Special Intelligence."
