Trump’s Thanksgiving Rant Ignites Firestorm Over Slur and Immigration Vow, as Global Allies Brace for Fallout

By Maggie Haberman and Zolan Kanno-Youngs Washington — Dec. 1, 2025

President Donald J. Trump, whose penchant for midnight missives has long tested the boundaries of decorum, transformed a traditional day of gratitude into a spectacle of division on Thursday with a late-night Truth Social screed that deployed a vile slur against Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and vowed to “permanently pause” migration from “Third World countries.” The post, issued hours after a formal White House Thanksgiving proclamation calling for national unity, has erupted into a holiday meltdown of backlash, boycotts and bipartisan condemnation, with even some Republicans distancing themselves from the rhetoric. As the message ricocheted across social media and cable news, global allies from Canada to the European Union expressed alarm over its potential to upend trade pacts and refugee agreements, thrusting Mr. Trump’s administration into a real-time crisis that threatens to overshadow his second-term agenda amid midterm pressures.

The Thanksgiving broadside, timestamped 11:47 p.m. from Mar-a-Lago, began with a litany of grievances over immigration, blaming “politically correct” policies for a surge in crime and division. “A very Happy Thanksgiving salutation to all of our Great American Citizens and Patriots who have been so nice in allowing our Country to be divided, disrupted, carved up, murdered, beaten, mugged, and laughed at,” Mr. Trump wrote, before zeroing in on Mr. Walz, his 2024 running mate opponent: “Tim Walz is seriously retarded when it comes to protecting our borders — only REVERSE MIGRATION can fully cure this situation.” He concluded with a stark pledge: “Other than that, HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL, except those that hate, steal, murder, and destroy everything that America stands for — You won’t be here for long!” The slur — a derogatory term for people with intellectual disabilities — drew immediate revulsion, amplified by its timing on a day meant for family gatherings and reflection.

By Friday morning, the post had amassed over 50 million views, igniting a torrent of outrage. Disability rights groups like the Special Olympics and The Arc condemned it as “dehumanizing,” with Special Olympics Chairwoman Loretta Claiborne, who has cerebral palsy, telling CNN: “This isn’t leadership; it’s a step back to the dark ages of bullying the vulnerable.” On X, #TrumpSlur trended with 4.2 million mentions, blending viral clips of Mr. Walz’s emotional response — a midnight video from St. Paul decrying the attack as “beneath the office” — with memes juxtaposing Mr. Trump’s words against his 2024 campaign vows of “kindness.” Late-night hosts piled on: Jimmy Kimmel quipped, “Trump’s Thanksgiving grace: Turkey for us, slurs for everyone else — pass the cranberry, not the hate.”

The immigration vow compounded the chaos, echoing Mr. Trump’s first-term “Muslim ban” but expanded to blanket restrictions on entrants from developing nations, including Afghanistan, Somalia and Haiti. Posted amid fallout from a Nov. 26 National Guard shooting in Washington — where suspect Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan asylum seeker granted status under the administration in April, fatally wounded a soldier — the pledge called for “reverse migration” and deportations of those “non-compatible with Western Civilization.” Immigrant advocates decried it as “collective punishment,” with the ACLU filing an emergency injunction Friday, arguing it violates the Immigration and Nationality Act. Polling from Emerson College, released Sunday, showed Mr. Trump’s approval among independents dipping to 38 percent, with 62 percent opposing the “Third World” label as “racist and outdated.”

Republicans, navigating a fragile House majority after off-year drubbings in Virginia and New Jersey, scrambled for cover. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who weathered a holiday revolt over shutdown delays, issued a measured statement: “The president’s passion for border security is unmatched, but words matter — especially on Thanksgiving.” Sen. Susan Collins, R-Me., a moderate, told reporters the slur was “regrettable and unnecessary,” while Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a Trump ally, pivoted on Fox News: “Focus on the policy — reverse migration saves lives, but let’s keep it civil.” Hard-liners like Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., rallied the base, posting: “Trump’s dropping truth bombs while Dems virtue-signal — Walz earned every word.” But privately, G.O.P. strategists fretted: A National Republican Congressional Committee memo leaked to Politico warned the rant could cost 15 swing-district seats in 2026, alienating suburban women and veterans.

The White House, sensing the blaze, moved to contain it. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt, in a Sunday briefing, defended the message as “unfiltered honesty” from a president “fighting for American families.” Chief of Staff Susie Wiles convened an emergency call with donors, floating a “unity pivot” speech for Monday touting economic wins like Walmart’s 25 percent cheaper Thanksgiving meal — a claim fact-checked as misleading, since the 2025 bundle shrank from 29 to 22 items. Mr. Trump doubled down on Truth Social Sunday: “FAKE NEWS outrage over my TRUTH — Walz is a disaster, migration is invasion! HAPPY HOLIDAYS to REAL Americans!” Yet aides leaked exhaustion: The rant followed a tense Mar-a-Lago Thanksgiving, where Mr. Trump reportedly clashed with family over Epstein file leaks, per sources close to the estate.

Global fallout rippled swiftly. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, facing U.S. tariff threats, tweeted a diplomatic rebuke: “Thanksgiving reminds us of shared values — let’s build bridges, not bans.” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned in Brussels that a “Third World” migration halt could derail refugee quotas under the U.S.-E.U. pact, potentially costing $2 billion in aid. In Mexico, President Claudia Sheinbaum canceled a Dec. 5 border summit, calling the rhetoric “divisive and dangerous.” Markets dipped 1.5 percent Monday, with refugee-linked stocks like Chobani tumbling on deportation fears.

Democrats, buoyed by the self-inflicted wound, mobilized. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., demanded an apology on MSNBC: “Trump’s holiday ‘gift’: Hate speech and hysteria — this is MAGA’s real chaos.” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., tied it to the shutdown’s Thanksgiving travel snarls — 40,000 delayed flights and food bank lines for 800,000 furloughed workers — scheduling a Dec. 3 vote on anti-impoundment protections. Mr. Walz, in a St. Paul rally Saturday, rose above the slur: “Words like that hurt families like mine — but we’ll respond with strength, not spite.”

For Mr. Trump, 79, the meltdown underscores a presidency of unfiltered impulses clashing with institutional guardrails. Historians liken it to Nixon’s 1972 “enemies list” holiday purge, but amplified by algorithms. “Thanksgiving was his reset button — instead, he hit delete on decorum,” said Jon Meacham, a presidential biographer. On X, the frenzy mixed MAGA defenses (“Trump’s raw — that’s why we love him”) with viral backlash, including a Special Olympics parody video garnering 10 million views.

As Black Friday sales boomed, the holiday’s afterglow soured into reckoning. Mr. Trump retreated to golf Monday, but the echoes linger: A rant meant to rally the base has rallied foes, from disability advocates to world leaders. In a divided America, Thanksgiving’s chaos isn’t just personal — it’s a prelude to peril, where one post can erupt into an empire’s unraveling.