Don't be stupid: Donald Trump tells Republicans amid Ukraine aid deal

77-year-old Donald Trump is running for White House again after he lost election to incumbent President Joe Biden in 2021

Republican presidential candidate and former US President Donald Trump meets with leaders of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters at their headquarters on January 31, 2024, in Washington, DC. — AFP

Former US President Donald Trump — who is confident about his face-off with Democrat Joe Biden in November — has attempted to exert his influence on the Republican lawmakers "to not back the Ukrainian aid bill".

In his social media post, Donald Trump referred to a border security bill and the foreign aid of $60 billion to Ukraine, saying: "Don't be STUPID!!! We need a separate Border and Immigration Bill. It should not be tied to foreign aid in any way, shape, or form!" 

"This Bill is a great gift to the Democrats and a Death Wish for The Republican Party," Trump said on his Truth Social platform.

The 77-year-old is running for the White House again after he lost the election to incumbent President Joe Biden in 2021. He is currently leading his party's nomination primaries by recently winning caucuses in New Hampshire and Iowa.

Biden and Trump have very different approaches to Ukraine, with the Democrat clear that helping the pro-Western ally repel Vladimir Putin's Russia is vital to ensure security while his predecessor pushes an isolationist, "America First" policy.

US President Joe Biden answers a question from the press about the condition of British King Charles at the Vdara Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, February 5, 2024. — AFP

At home, Biden has pressed for a humane immigration policy but Republicans point to statistics showing migrant apprehensions reaching a record high of 302,000 in December, a surge Trump has been wielding as a major issue in the campaign.

The demand that the aid for Ukraine be tied to immigration reform came from Trump's Republican party in the first place, with the former president keen to equate the crisis at the border with chaos abroad that he repeatedly claims he would have averted.

Joe Biden in frustration 

On Sunday, senators unveiled a bipartisan $118 billion package of immigration restrictions that Biden has committed to signing into law. It is tied to a foreign aid package that includes $60 billion for Ukraine and $14 billion for Israel.

The deal provides $20 billion in new border funding and would be a major win for immigration hawks, as it is full of concessions that Democrats would normally have opposed.

"We don't have enough agents. We don't have enough folks. We don't have enough judges. You don't have enough folks here. We need help. Why won't they give me the help?" a frustrated Joe Biden said Monday when asked about the bill's prospects.

But Trump has an iron grip on Republicans leading the House of Representatives and has called repeatedly for the party to axe the legislation and deny Biden and his Democrats a political victory ahead of November's election.

Some House Republicans in districts won by Biden have voiced concerns about walking away from the deal — especially when the party plans to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas this week over the border crisis.

But Trump's overwhelming victories in the early nominating contests in the Republican presidential primary have solidified support around his candidacy, with more than 150 members of Congress now endorsing him.

'Dead on arrival'

House Speaker Mike Johnson, who talks to Trump regularly, said the deal would be "dead on arrival" if it reaches the Republican-controlled lower chamber.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned last week that Ukraine's gains over two years of fighting were all in doubt without US approval of the $60 billion.

While Trump has focused his criticism on the domestic aspects of the bill, critics see his opposition as another example of the controversial billionaire placing his electoral ambitions above national security when it comes to Ukraine.

Donald Trump was impeached in 2019 over his attempts to strongarm Kyiv into smearing Joe Biden as the Republican withheld $400 million in vital military aid that had already been approved by Congress for the embattled ally.

The influential Eurasia Group think tank said in its forecast of security risks for 2024 that a Trump victory in November would "call into question the US commitment to Nato and likely spell the end of US support for Ukraine."

"Both would send shockwaves through Europe's fragile security landscape and trigger existential fears among Europeans," it said, "especially on Nato's eastern flank.