"I'm building a wall, OK? I'm building a wall. I am going to do very well with the Hispanics, the Mexicans." - Donald J. Trump, June 3, 2016 |
The dust settled on Thursday from Donald Trump's immigration experiment, a two-part adventure that saw a milder version of the Republican nominee make nice with Mexico's president before shifting his tone hours later for a hard-line speech on immigration. |
Three things became clear in the aftermath: |
- Trump still wanted to build a wall, a task nigh impossible for many, many reasons.
- Some of Trump's Hispanic backers dropped their support, and others voiced concern.
- Hillary Clinton saw an opening in Arizona, a red state with a growing Hispanic population.
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Remember when all it took to win Hispanic voters was a taco bowl? Simpler times. |
It's For the Record: the politics newsletter for Tex-Mex aficionados from USA TODAY. |
'A scam': Trump's Hispanic backers balk at campaign's outreach |
After days of will-he, won't-he drama about Trump "softening" his immigration stances, all he pivoted on was tone. He spoke meekly alongside Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto during a trip to the nation Wednesday, only to forcefully deliver a 10-point immigration plan that night in Phoenix. |
"You cannot obtain legal status or become a citizen of the United States by illegally entering our country," Trump said, adding that "Those days are over." |
Trump's base loved it: Ann Coulter called it "the most magnificent speech ever given." (Fact check: That honor still goes to Coach Taylor in "Friday Night Lights.") |
The address left some of Trump's Hispanic backers, however, feeling less sure. |
Alfonso Aguilar, president of the Latino Partnership for Conservative Principles, said he felt "disappointed and misled" after the speech. By Thursday, he had dropped his support for Trump. |
Jacob Monty, once on Trump's National Hispanic Advisory Council, also withdrew his support after the speech. "This is not someone I want to be associated with," he said. |
Ramiro Pena, also on Trump's Hispanic council, said the board seemed like "a scam." |
"I am so sorry but I believe Mr. Trump lost the election tonight," he wrote in an email. |
On Thursday morning, Trump had more to say about the wall (on Twitter, of course). "Mexico will pay for the wall!" he wrote. |
Hours later, Peña Nieto responded: "I repeat what I said in person, Mr. Trump: Mexico would never pay for a wall."
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Clinton Campaign: Arizona? Arizona. |
Clinton thinks Trump took a misstep with his Phoenix speech, too, and her campaign sees an opening in Arizona, a Republican-heavy state where Democrats are vying for Hispanic votes. Her campaign said Thursday it will drop six figures to air an anti-Trump ad on local stations there. |
Starting as early as today, Arizonans can see "Role Models," a Clinton ad wherein children watch Donald Trump mock a disabled reporter and (sort of) drop an F-bomb. |
Our own Eliza Collins writes that Arizona polling shows Trump up in the state, with Clinton looking competitive: "A CNN/ORC poll last week had the two separated by 5 points. And the RealClearPolitics polling average has Trump ahead by just 2.5 points." |
Arizona has voted for a Republican candidate in every presidential cycle since 1948 except once, when it helped re-elect Bill Clinton in 1996. |
Good news for Republicans; fear and terror for us all |
Should everything come up Clinton in Arizona and beyond, the GOP still has a silver lining: Most prospective Clinton voters say they'll vote Republican elsewhere on the ticket. |
A nationwide poll from USA TODAY/Suffolk University found a third of Clinton supporters (32%) say they're "very likely" to split their votes, with another 20% saying they're "somewhat" likely to vote for down-ticket Republicans. |
Regardless of whether you're for Clinton or Trump, you're more likely to exhale than cheer if your candidate wins. The same poll found supporters of both candidates are more motivated by fear about the other party's nominee winning than by excitement over their own candidate. |
Voters in our poll feared Trump more than Clinton, but not by much: She's up 7 percentage points over Trump, 48%-41%. |
More from the campaign trail: |
• | U$A: Clinton raised a record $143 million last month (USA TODAY) | • | Trump stayed populist in Ohio Thursday: "Remember: America first" (Cincinnati Enquirer) | • | Joe Biden is flying around the world to reassure leaders "that Donald Trump didn't represent America" (USA TODAY) | |
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Want to volunteer for Trump? Just sign this 2,271-word contract |
Those online hoping to dial for the Donald need only sign a 2,271-word non-disclosure agreement, forcing them to promise not to say anything mean about Trump, his family members, his company or products from now until the end of time. (Seriously, here it is.) |
It's not a typical procedure (the Clinton campaign has no such agreement), but that may not phase Trump supporters. |
"Donald Trump supporters are very passionate," said Matt Moore, South Carolina's GOP chair. "I don't imagine that it would discourage them, much if any at all." |
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