Republican Representative Is Silent For Eight Seconds When Asked If He Supports Trump’s Deportation Policy

New Jersey Rep. Tom Kean Jr. spent eight seconds completely silent during a congressional debate Monday night, refusing to answer whether or not he supports Donald Trump’s mass deportation immigration policy.

In the battle to keep his seat in the Garden State’s 7th Congressional District, Kean sparred with his opponent, Democrat Sue Altman, over reproductive rights, affordability, healthcare, democracy and more.

But when it comes to immigration, a controversial topic in the country, Kean was unable to give a clear “yes” or “no” answer on whether he supports Trump’s plan to deport all immigrants.

The Republican representative initially deflected a question about the plan. Instead, he gave a vague response that mimics some of Trump’s anti-immigration rhetoric about immigrants crossing the border to commit violent crimes in the United States.

Altman pressed him saying, “Congressman, you just dodged the question that Mr. Rasmussen asked you a very specific question: would you support the deportation of migrants, yes or no?”

But Kean remained completely silent and barely moved for eight seconds.

Eventually, the moderators interrupted, allowing Altman to denounce the mass deportation plan as a “really scary thing” before returning the question to Kean, who once again repeated his earlier vague statement.

Kean, the son of former New Jersey governor Tom Kean, famously pleaded for the silent treatment during his tenure as a U.S. representative.

Over the past year, reporters have struggled to have even a basic conversation with the Republican representative because Kean refuses to talk about any of his policies or positions.

“Now I know how reporters feel,” Altman joked.

The Independent reached out to Kean’s team for comment.

Kean is generally considered a moderate Republican in Congress, but he often toes the line. While he told constituents he supported abortion rights in 2022, he also voted against the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would have codified the right to abortion at the federal level. He also voted in favor of the “Born-Alive” Act.

He kept his distance from Trump, but at the same time supported him for president.

During the debate Monday night, Kean shared some of Trump’s views on immigration, such as espousing rhetoric that insinuates that many immigrants are criminals.

Kean is fighting to keep his seat in New Jersey’s 7th District, which is considered a competitive race.