Trump’s Immigration Policy the Downfall of the Republican Party?

Donald Trump’s immigration policies can be summed up in one word: extreme. He is literally advocating for the building of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and plans to have Mexico pay for it. These hardcore policies are killing him when it comes to Latino voters, whose votes he and the Republicans desperately need in order to take back the White House and to keep the Senate. The impression Trump is leaving on these voters could have lasting implications far beyond this election cycle and make it seemingly impossible for the Republican party revive this voter block they desperately need.

In 2004, Bush was able to win a narrow election because he was able to pull 40% of the Latino vote. That number of Latino votes has shrunk in every election since then for the Republicans, while the number of Latinos in America has continued to rise. Trump is projected to get below 20% of the Latino vote this upcoming election . In order for the Republicans to win elections this trend has to change. According to Pew, Latinos made up 17.3% of the U.S. population in 2014 and this number is projected to grow to 28.6% by 2060. By showing how drastically the demographics in the U.S. are changing, it further proves Republicans need these votes to stay relevant. It also shows how Trump’s extreme views could bring down the Republican Party. They can’t win without Latinos, and Latinos are not voting for Trump. GOP pollster Whit Ayres said, “After alienating so many nonwhite voters, Trump needs to win 65% of the white vote. Only one candidate has done that in the last 40 years, and that was Ronald Reagan in a 49-state landslide in 1984. It’s not going to happen.” Donald Trump is no Ronald Reagan.

The Republican Party must find a way to distance itself from the extreme views of Trump, but this is very difficult to do while Trump is the face of the party. Paul Ryan and the rest of the leadership on the right must make it clear to the country, and to Latinos in particular, that Trump does not represent the party when it comes to immigration; they are not this extreme. If they fail at this then the Republican Party will be in a massive hole that may take decades to climb out of if it even can climb out. Donald Trump, at best, will hurt and inconvenience the Republican Party. At worst he could spell its downfall.

 

 

One thought on “Trump’s Immigration Policy the Downfall of the Republican Party?

  1. I agree with this, and more than losing Latino voters, Trump is losing the demographic of college-educated, middle-aged women who have always voted Republican. I’m not sure if this is a disparity that he will be able to overcome! His policies scare people into voting for Hillary Clinton – people that usually would have blindly voted Republican until now. Honestly, not a smart move on his part at all. I’m interested to see how his radical immigration policies position him in November.

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