Claim: A video featuring Donald Trump has recently gone viral on social media, where he states, “I am today starting the process of terminating the diversity lottery program.I’m going to ask Congress to immediately initiate work to get rid of this program. The program sounds nice. It’s not nice. It’s not good.”
Rating: Misleading
Fact: The video is being shared as though it’s recent, implying that Trump has recently called on Congress to end the Diversity Visa Lottery. Currently, one version of the video has 2.8 million views, while another has 1.3 million views. However, this is an old video from November 1, 2017, nearly seven years ago, during Trump’s first term as President of the United States.
Original Context:
This video originally followed a deadly truck attack in Manhattan, New York. In his first remarks after the attack, Trump called on Congress to end the Diversity Visa Lottery. On October 31, 2017, a deadly truck attack claimed the lives of eight people. The perpetrator, Sayfullo Saipov, was an immigrant from Uzbekistan who had entered the United States through the Diversity Visa program.
In his initial response to the attack, then-President Trump urged Congress to terminate the Diversity Visa Lottery. This program, which allows immigrants from countries with low rates of immigration to the U.S. to apply for visas, became a focal point of Trump’s immigration policy discussions following the incident.
The legal proceedings against Saipov concluded with a severe sentence. He received life imprisonment for each of the eight victims, along with an additional consecutive term of 260 years and two more concurrent life sentences. This sentencing underscored the gravity of the crime and its impact on the victims’ families and the community at large.
During that period, Trump also tweeted and made other statements opposing the Diversity Visa Lottery. Since his recent election to the U.S. presidency, however, Trump has made no new statements on this program. The videos currently circulating on social media are from 2017 and earlier.
Legislative Background:
In 2017, Trump supported the RAISE Act, a bill introduced in the U.S. Senate by Republican Senators Tom Cotton and David Perdue. The bill aimed to significantly reduce family-based immigration, overhaul employment-based immigration, and eliminate the Diversity Visa Lottery. However, the RAISE Act did not pass in Congress, and another similar bill also failed in 2018.
Although Trump expressed his desire to end the Diversity Visa Lottery, he could not do so via executive order. During his term, he introduced a rule requiring passport information for Diversity Visa applications, which was later overturned by the courts. Since the Diversity Visa program was established by Congress, it can only be ended through new legislation.
Possibilities in Trump’s Upcoming Term:
After assuming office in January 2025, Trump may again urge Congress to pass legislation to end or reform the Diversity Visa Lottery. He could also use executive orders or policies to impose stricter conditions on lottery winners applying for visas or entering the U.S., as he did in 2020. During his previous term, travel bans and other policies notably affected Diversity Visa winners.
Conclusion:
Although newly elected U.S. President Donald Trump remains opposed to the Diversity Visa Lottery, the viral video circulating on social media is from 2017, not recent. Since his recent election, Trump has not made any new statements regarding the Diversity Visa Lottery program.
Kishor Panthi
View More PostsKishor Panthi is the founder and editor-in-chief of Khasokhas and NepYork. He is the author of three books, “Kampan,” "UNTRANSLATABLE" and “Zero Mile.” He writes about social issues, immigration, and politics.
