White House Crushes Michael Moore for 'Dumbest Statement of the Year' Contender
Filmmaker Michael Moore took aim at President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, and the White House didn’t hesitate to fire back.
On Tuesday, Moore shared a link on social media platform X, directing followers to an article on his personal website titled, “Our Muslim Boy Wonder.”
In the article, Moore introduced readers to a Syrian Muslim man named Abdulfattah Jandali, who, according to Moore, entered the United States illegally. Jandali eventually had a child with a woman from Green Bay, Wisconsin, and that child was born in a hospital in San Francisco, California.
Moore’s big reveal? That baby grew up to become none other than Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. The filmmaker’s point was clear: If Jandali hadn’t come to America the way he did, we might have missed out on the innovations Apple brought into our daily lives.
“This little story, I hope, will give pause to any bigot who constantly rails against the danger we are all in because of these ‘filthy, lowlife aliens,’” Moore wrote. “Those of us who count ourselves as part of the ‘non-hater’ demographic of Americans cannot even begin to add up or ascertain the innumerable ways our lives have been made better by our beloved immigrant neighbors.”
Moore continued his piece by adding, “If you have amongst your family and friends a few uninformed Trumpsters who still scream about building a wall or deporting anyone who can’t prove they belong here, maybe you could show them the following list of immigrants who somehow got here, and then contributed amazing things for the rest of us to benefit from.”
He went on to list well-known figures who were either immigrants themselves or the children of immigrants, including Albert Einstein, Gene Simmons, and Sergey Brin.
Moore’s message was simple: Trump’s immigration enforcement was misguided because immigrants have consistently contributed to America’s progress. He even suggested that aggressive deportations could lead to the removal of someone who might have eventually discovered a cure for cancer.
The White House didn’t waste any time responding. On Wednesday, it released its own piece, titled “Illegal Immigrant Killers, Rapists Aren’t Scholars — They’re Criminals.”
“In a strong contender for dumbest statement of the year, disgraced ‘filmmaker’ Michael Moore lamented illegal immigrant criminals being apprehended because they might’ve ‘discovered the cure for cancer’ or ‘stopped that asteroid,’” the White House response read. “The only thing more foolish than that statement are the politicians who oppose the deportations.”
The response also included a list of illegal immigrants who had been arrested for serious offenses such as sexual assault, crimes against children, and terrorism.
Moore’s argument had some glaring weaknesses, and the White House wasn’t shy about pointing them out.
Moore’s logic boiled down to this: because some immigrants or their children have made significant contributions to society, Trump’s immigration enforcement is wrong. However, the White House noted that the vast majority of Moore’s examples were legal immigrants who followed the established process to enter the country, not people who crossed the border illegally. That fact alone severely undercut Moore’s position.
What Moore also seemed to ignore is that not all illegal immigrants come with positive intentions. Many bring crime and danger, which the Trump administration has been actively working to combat. Removing those bad actors makes all Americans — including Michael Moore — safer.
Moore’s core fear appears to be that cracking down on illegal immigration will deprive the country of future innovators and visionaries. But the reality, the White House argued, is that a return to the Biden-era policies Moore favors wouldn’t bring a wave of future Steve Jobs types. It would bring more of the dangerous criminals listed in the White House response.