Donald Trump, a horrible man with hair like used dental floss and ideas that threaten the definition of democracy as we know it, has begun his public about-face on the one issue that has defined the tone of his dangerous and bigoted campaign: immigration.
In a town hall with Sean Hannity that aired its first half Tuesday and its second half tonight, Trump softened his insane hardline stance on his promise to deport 11 million undocumented immigrants, which, as the New York Times handily points out, is what secured him the Republican nomination.
ABC News reports that during the first half of the town hall, Trump suggested that he would consider “softening” his stance on immigration. Up until very recently, the aforementioned stance has been a heady combination of mass deportation, Islamophobia and banning immigrants from countries with a “history of terror.” As November inches ever closer, Trump is continuing his tour of contrition by backpedaling as fast as his meaty legs can move.
From ABC:
When asked whether he would allow an exception for someone to stay in the U.S. who’s proven to be a fair citizen, Trump said, “No citizenship. Let me go a step further — they’ll pay back-taxes, they have to pay taxes, there’s no amnesty, as such, there’s no amnesty, but we work with them.”
He later added that “people that have been working so hard to come into the country, are going through the process, we’re going to take them in and we’re going to cherish them, and they’re going to love us.”
“Cherish” is not quite how I’d describe any of his previous statements concerning immigrants. Proposing to build a massive wall along the border of Mexico in order to keep out the riffraff is not anywhere close to the definition of that word. His curious rhetorical shift came after speaking to voters who sympathized with the difficult position undocumented immigrants face in this country.
During this town hall, Trump also polled the crowd on whether or not mass deportation was something he should consider – very reassuring behavior from someone who is running for fucking President.
When Trump isn’t asking the people their opinions about major policy decisions that he should have a handle on, he’s spending the rest of his time going in on Hillary Clinton, hard. At a rally in Jackson, Mississippi Wednesday, Trump said “Hillary Clinton is a bigot who sees people of color only as votes, not as human beings worthy of a better future.” Christ.
These debates are going to be something else.
