Why Trump’s Immigration Position Is Hurting Him
Alex Nowrasteh on Cato Institute blog considers how Donald Trump‘s strident immigration positions, which helped secure the Republican nomination, are damaging him in the general election.
Nowrasteh observes that the issue of immigration handed Donald Trump the Republican nomination. His style of communication, emphasis on the issue, and seemingly simple solutions courted, converted, or imported a core group of GOP voters to support his candidacy. Many expected Trump to moderate his immigration stance after winning the nomination, but Trump doubled-down on his anti-legal immigration position. This election is a great test of whether Americans will vote for a candidate whose substantive policy focus is immigration restrictionism.
Immigration restrictionism increasingly appeals only to a shrinking percentage of the electorate that is concentrated in the Republican Party. Crucially, Republican respondents are not more opposed to immigration than they used to be. The rise of Trump does not reveal a political opportunity for future Republican politicians in general elections, but instead should warn them that the issue may help in winning the nomination but not in the general election.
KJ