President Donald Trump channeled the late, great former First Lady Nancy Reagan in his not-so-subtle message that the gravy train is over for Democrats leading sanctuary states and cities, ending federal funding for illegal immigration.
Speaking in Michigan on Tuesday, President Trump addressed members of the Detroit Economic Club about issues facing his administration, including the recent massive child care welfare fraud scandal uncovered in Minnesota under Democrat Governor Tim Walz’s leadership, and his next move to end federal payments to places like California, where Governor Gavin Newsom put illegal aliens' lives ahead of American citizens.
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President Trump: "Starting February 1st, we are not making ANY payments to sanctuary cities or states having sanctuary cities because they do everything possible to protect criminals at the expense of American citizens." pic.twitter.com/scZgH8jjRv
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) January 13, 2026
“Additionally, from this moment forward, if you’re on public assistance… you can’t wire money out of the country back to your bank account from where you came,” Trump said, promising that if his administration can end the massive fraud, the government will have a balanced budget.
“We’re giving 90-day notice to places like California …right away, we’re going to send out that notice...who would bill the federal government as people poured into the state, to send those people back because no country can afford to do it,” Trump said.
“No country can afford to take in millions of people,” he added. ”Pay for their education, their healthcare, their hospitals, you just can’t do it. And we all have a heart. You can’t do it.”
Trump said that many of the people who entered the country illegally under former President Joe Biden’s open-border policy are alleged murderers and people released from jails and mental institutions.
“They’re people that are drug dealers, they’re addicts,” Trump said. “Additionally, starting February 1st, we are not making any payments to sanctuary cities or states having sanctuary cities because they do everything possible to protect criminals at the expense of American citizens.”
“It breeds fraud, crime, and all of the other problems that come,” he added. “So we're not making any payment to anybody that supports sanctuary cities.”
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The room erupted in applause with Trump’s comments.
During his speech, the president also sent a message to Democratic governors like Newsom, who he said have used their woke illegal immigration agenda as a cash cow, making it clear that it’s over.
“And also we’re freezing any and all welfare payments going to illegal immigrants,” Trump said. “That will start effective immediately. So, when illegals come into California, Gavin Newscum (Newsom), they come into California, and they (the state) send us bills for people coming in. We’re not paying it. So, we are working on that very strongly.”
“Just don’t pay it. As Nancy Reagan would say, ‘Just say no,” he added. “You remember Nancy Reagan: 'Just say no to drugs'? It’s a little more difficult than that. I guess, right? Just say no.”
I definitely voted for all of this.
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