-
Trump's Immigration Focus: A Strategy for the 2024 Election
In Georgia, specifically in Atlanta, former American President and Republican candidate for the U.S. elections, Donald Trump, turned his back to the crowd, staring at the screen as somber music played. For the next minute and a half, the former president and his audience silently watched clips of news reports about illegal immigrants committing horrific crimes. When the montage concluded, Trump loudly stated what he had been telling his advisors privately for weeks: emphasizing that immigration is "the number one" issue in the 2024 elections.
After the video presentation on immigration, Trump said on Tuesday night, "The United States is now an occupied country. But November 5, 2024, will be America's Day of Liberation."
In the final weeks of the campaign that the former president has been running since his first year out of office, Trump is following his instincts, reinforcing the rhetoric he believes won him the 2016 election by using immigration and borders to shape the core of his closing message to voters. However, these instincts conflict with data and some of his advisors' perspectives, according to the New York Times.
Trump told his aides that he defeated Hillary Clinton in 2016 due to border issues, but by 2020 the border situation had been fixed, with illegal crossings greatly reduced partly due to the coronavirus pandemic, meaning Trump could not leverage it as an issue against Joe Biden.
He believes immigration, now more than ever, is a political message following record levels of border crossings under Joe Biden and the Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris. Yet, neither public nor private polls support Trump's theory about the race. Voters often rank the economy and the rising cost of living as the most pressing concerns.
In recent days, Trump has spent a significant amount of time and energy on economic-themed events, proposing to make car loan benefits fully tax-deductible and offering tax breaks for companies and other benefits if they move their manufacturing to the U.S.
However, Trump draws energy from his rallies and the reactions he receives regarding immigration, reinforcing his belief that the issue resonates better with voters than the economy. When he launches a strong attack on immigration policies, Trump becomes vigorous and receives a similarly vibrant response from the audience and the press compared to the lukewarm reception he gets when discussing grocery prices, taxes, or tariffs.
Trump has told allies that he believes crowds feel "bored" when he talks too much about the economy, according to someone close to him. Now, Trump has a new reason to focus on this issue, as he has informed crowds at campaign rallies and those close to him that his opposition to illegal immigration has saved his life.
In Butler, Pennsylvania, in July, Trump turned to look at a chart of illegal border crossings on the screen at the same moment a bullet from a potential shooter missed his skull by less than an inch, grazing his ear. He stated in front of a crowd in Aurora, Colorado, "If you think about it, my opposition to illegal immigration saved my life."
Some of Trump's supporters fear his more extreme rhetoric on immigration, such as his baseless claim that Haitian migrants eat cats and dogs, could alienate moderate voters he needs to support him.
Trump continues to push his advisors for more immigration-related content to reinforce his closing campaign message.
