Trump has sought to clarify his earlier remarks, saying they were removed from proper context and that it was more a criticism of the Obama administration than Mexican immigrants.
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Arizona’s tough-on-immigration Sheriff Joe Arpaio introduced Trump in Phoenix after outlining the things he and the candidate have in common, including skepticism that President Obama was born in the United States.
The colorful U.S. property magnate turned Republican White House hopeful also asserted that he will win more Hispanic votes than his rivals, including Democrat Hillary Clinton.
“I heard there were going to be big protests outside”, he said. “I think he said too much that once you do that, you can’t come back, honestly I don’t think he can do anything”, said Brandy Moreno.
Expressing his amazement at the size of the crowd, Trump said, “This is unbelievable”. In a Retuers-Ipsos poll released Saturday, Trump is neck-and-neck with former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, with 15.8% voter support, compared to Bush’s 16.1%.
Speaking to a gathering of Libertarians in Las Vegas before headlining an event in Phoenix, Trump repeated his charge that Mexico sends violent offenders to the United States to harm Americans and that federal officials are being “dumb” in dealing with illegal immigrants. “They’re not sending you, they’re sending people that have lots of problems and they’re bringing those problems”.
About 20 minutes into his speech a group of protesters raised a banner that disrupted the speech.
Several businesses, including Macy’s, NBC and Univision, have since cut ties with the 69-year-old billionaire. “I don’t think the country wants someone with his bombast to be making decisions late in the night about the future of the country”. “And somebody needs to take a shovel out of Donald Trump’s hand”. “We have to do something to take back our country”.
He’s moving a rally in Arizona on Saturday from the Biltmore Hotel to the Phoenix Convention Center because of high demand.
Despite the backlash, Trump has doubled down on his rhetoric. Brandon Mendoza who was killed by an illegal immigrant driving while under the influence.
Standing a few feet behind Wines in a line that stretched almost a city block stood Diane Sapiro, who wore a Trump button that read “Make America great again”.
Graham has long advocated a comprehensive change in USA immigration laws, including providing a pathway to citizenship for some of the more than 11 million illegal immigrants. Both were emotionally engaged to end illegal immigration. “Bush is weak on immigration”, Trump said.
Meanwhile, Graham has been lagging in the polls, which could keep him out of the first GOP primary debate.
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And because Trump’s demeanor is so bombastic, voters may see him as a voice of truth next to his more cautious and curated opponents, said Rob Brown, professor of communications at Salem State University, who has worked as a political adviser.
