Many were shocked to see a longtime daytime TV mainstay take center stage as the Trump administration’s immigration raids increased throughout the United States.”Dr. Phil,” whose real name was Philip McGraw, accompanied ICE officers on raids throughout the Chicago area.
McGraw, who became well-known nationwide with Oprah Winfrey and presented Dr. Phil for over 20 years, claimed to have infiltrated with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers when they captured terrorists and known criminals.
Over the past year, McGraw has emerged as a strong advocate for Trump’s immigration policies, voicing his opinions on TV, podcasts, social media, and even during a Trump rally.
In a statement following the conclusion of his CBS daytime program in 2023, McGraw expressed his deep worry for the American family and his resolve to assist in reestablishing our fundamental principles and a sense of purpose.
In January 2023, he gave an indication of his immigration views on a Dr. Phil broadcast. At that point, McGraw informed his audience and guests that he thought the United States’ immigration rules were not being appropriately implemented and that we couldn’t get our act together by approaching this in the correct manner.
However, it didn’t seem that McGraw had ever used words like “illegal,” “border,” “immigration,” or “ICE” in his social media posts prior to last year.
In 2024, all of that changed.
Dr. Phil’s words on immigration
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Dec. 5, 2024: The Pinal County Sheriff
posted a thankful message
to McGraw for bringing attention to the current crisis on our southern border. McGraw and Tom Homan, Trump’s border czar, had visited local officials in Arizona to discuss immigration.
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Dec. 4: On
McGraw s podcast, Homan
said hardline actions are necessary to secure the border, with McGraw adding that it s going to be my honor to help you do it.
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Oct. 28: He
posted a piece
on the smugglers’ highway in Pinal County, Arizona.
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Aug. 27:
Trump appeared on McGraw’s Merit TV
show saying recent immigrants were terrorists released from South American and African jails.
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July 25: McGraw profiled the death of
10-year-old Alex Wise
, who was allegedly
killed by an illegal
migrant who had been deported five times.
A suspect in the fatal hit-and-run crash was arrested anddetained by ICE because
he’d been previously deported, officials said.
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April 11: He wrote on the
platform X
, America, we ve got issues at our border. I went to the border to see this crisis firsthand and I ve learned it s even worse than I had imagined.
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Feb. 26: He went on The View to claim
that young migrants
are being forced into unspeakable conditions on this side of the border as we are using American tax dollars into known prostitution and sweatshops.
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Feb. 5:
McGraw told Fox News
that Chinese immigrants are stealing agricultural secrets and sending that information back home.
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Feb. 2: McGraw
posted a picture of himself
with armed forces with the caption, at the border today with the men and women protecting our country.
McGraw started his own media company at the same time he was speaking out more about immigration.
Merit TV was launched ten months ago with the goal of finding “common ground through clarity and common sense, providing traditional family content while also disrupting the news landscape with unbiased reporting on issues that mattter (sic) most to Americans.” The network offers a direct streaming option in addition to spots on DirectTV, Spectrum, and other linear providers.
The Trinity Broadcasting Network, which broadcasts shows from well-known conservatives including former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and child star turned social conservative Kirk Cameron, is also connected to Merit TV.
However, what was noticeable in Chicago this week was the name familiarity McGraw established on his daytime talk program.
In one of the raids’ scenes, a man who was being held by ICE said to McGraw, “You’re Dr. Phil.”
“How do you know me?” McGraw answered.
The man, “I’ve seen ‘Dr. Phil’ on TV,” said.
According to TV history Robert Thompson, a professor at Syracuse University, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that a TV personality would appear in such an out-of-context setting regarding Trump and his policies.
“He likes people who are good on TV, who have been on TV who are celebrities and who are willing to play with him, and ‘Dr. Phil,’ of course, has been on TV for a long time,” Thompson stated.
“Under normal conditions, it would be unexpected to see ‘Dr. Phil’ be at the center of one of these significant events during the first few weeks of operations. But given the current situation, it is not surprising.