Trump's upcoming border visit forced VP Harris' trip, Republicans say

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Vice President Harris to visit border this week after 91 days as ‘border czar’

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, reacts to news that Kamala Harris and Alejandro Mayorkas will visit the border this week ahead of Donald Trump’s visit

Republicans in Congress credited former President Donald Trump's upcoming border visit as the reason Vice President Harris will now be traveling to the southern border nearly 100 days after she was tapped by President Biden to address the root cause of the border crisis.

The White House announced on Wednesday that it is now the "appropriate time" for Harris to travel south to see the border, though Harris dismissed the idea of a visit as a "grand gesture" earlier this month.

KAMALA HARRIS TO MAKE FIRST TRIP TO BORDER MORE THAN 90 DAYS SINCE BEING TAPPED FOR CRISIS ROLE

The announcement of the vice president's trip comes a week after Trump announced he would be traveling to visit the southern border with Texas' Republican Governor Greg Abbott on June 30.

Multiple Republicans in Congress were quick to slam Harris after the announcement, crediting Trump with spurring the vice president's trip down south by saying he'd visit the border before Harris even put a trip on her calendar.

Rep. August Pfluger of Texas, told Fox News on Wednesday that the veep’s trip came about after "months of pressure" from lawmakers, Texans and a potential trip to the border from the former president.

"It took months of pressure from those of us in Congress, Texans along the border, and a visit from President Trump himself to finally convince ‘Border Czar’ Vice President Harris to visit the border first-hand," Pfluger said.

"When the Vice President arrives I hope she takes the time to talk to border patrol agents, law enforcement officers, and border families who feel abandoned," he continued. "I sincerely hope this visit leads to policy changes and an end to the Biden Border Crisis. The border must be secured."

WHITE HOUSE: ‘APPROPRIATE TIME’ FOR KAMALA HARRIS BORDER VISIT AFTER VP DISMISSED IT AS ‘GRAND GESTURE’

"Let’s just say, there are no coincidences in Washington," fellow Texan Rep. Pete Sessions told Fox News in an email, referring to the timing of Harris' announcement. 

"Ninety-one days ago, she was named as border czar in charge of the border crisis. And she demonstrated strong leadership by doing not a damn thing, by going nowhere near the border, by doing everything she could to hide from the crisis," Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said Wednesday "America Reports."

"Now, frankly, that's the same thing Joe Biden is doing. She's emulating the president in hiding from the crisis," he continued. "And so suddenly President Trump is going to the border. They realized, oh, crap, we've got to do something."

House Judiciary Committee ranking member Jim Jordan of Ohio, thanked President Trump in a tweet for "getting Vice President Harris to finally go to the southern border."

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"She would never go without you announcing your trip first," Jordan added.

The White House maintained the newly-announced trip was not driven by Trump's trip announcement.

Houston Keene is a reporter for Fox News Digital. You can find him on Twitter at @HoustonKeene