Donald Trump announced via Twitter that he will be in Arizona on Wednesday to give a major speech regarding immigration.
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Immigration policy has become the cornerstone of his election speeches and some of his statements have caused huge controversy in America and around the globe. While he has not wavered on his desire to build an impenetrable wall along the border with Mexico, he exhibited indecisiveness in recent days about his plan to deport 11 million immigrants living in the USA illegally.
Trump’s appearance follows a week in which he indicated a possible “softening” of his immigration stance, talking broadly about approaching the issue in a more “humane manner”.
Trump has long tried to portray Clinton as without sufficient stamina to serve as president, despite her reputation as one of the most traveled secretaries of state and profiles detailing her work ethic.
“So you have somebody who’s been in the country for 20 years, has done a great job, and everything else”, he said. I’d say to both of them, back down. Trump even questioned whether those born in the United States to people here illegally are citizens – even though they have automatically been considered citizens since the adoption of the constitution’s 14th Amendment in 1868.
On Sunday, however, Trump’s running mate, Mike Pence, went on CNN’s “State of the Union” to set the record straight.
There has been debate within his campaign about immigrants who haven’t committed crimes beyond their immigration offenses.
Pence, Conway and other surrogates said the main tenets of Trump’s immigration plan still will include building a wall along the southern USA border and making Mexico pay for it, no path to legalization or citizenship for people here illegally and stronger border enforcement. “All the media wants to talk about is the 11 million or more people here illegally”.
Meanwhile, Trump has castigated Clinton for her support of the Iraq war (for which he also initially indicated support) and her call for allowing more Syrian refugees into the country – which he said would hurt national security. The challenge puts Clinton, who has brushed off questions about her fitness to serve as president, on the spot to come clean with the American people. “But here’s the thing: The American people see right through it these days”.
“This is an example of pay-to-play politics the American people are sick and exhausted of”, he said.
But Pence brushed off the attacks “outrageous charges”, calling it a “desperate” attempt to stop Trump from closing the gap.
Hours before, Trump had tweeted: “Dwayne Wade’s cousin was just shot and killed walking her baby in Chicago”, initially misspelling the basketball player’s first name before correcting it later. “Just what I have been saying”.
As my Washington Post colleague Aaron Blake has written, Trump is trying to make the case that Democrats’ policies are unfair to black and other Americans of color.
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“We can continue with the leadership that has left us with risky streets in our cities, failing schools, no jobs”, he said. “They know you’re going to do a good job once you’re there”.
