A common claim by Donald Trump and his supporters is that he was talking about building a wall before the other GOP candidates, Ted Cruz in particular. This is 100% false. Ted Cruz was defending the building of the border wall to a series of moderators in July, 2012. At that point, Trump was on record as still supporting amnesty for illegal immigrants.
The only defense that he and his supporters can muster is that he has “evolved” on his beliefs of nearly seven decades. This is awfully convenient, of course, considering that his new talking points match the narrative that is required to stir up what psychologists are calling the “authoritarian wing” of the Republican party. These are the Republicans who are angry about what the government is doing and who want someone strong to tell them what to think and how to act. It’s the daddy-issues wing of the party – those who know enough to want change but who don’t take the time to research the claims of their chosen candidate.
These people won’t be reached. Instead, we’re appealing to the curious- but thoughtful-Republicans who are interested in hearing what Trump has to say but who won’t follow him blindly based upon the unlikely claim that he’s erased 67-years of liberalism just in time to be Mr. Conservative. They will research him and come to the conclusion that he was pro-amnesty less than two years before his infamous anti-immigrant rant when he launched his campaign.
Congress must protect our borders first. Amnesty should be done only if the border is secure and illegal immigration has stopped.
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 29, 2013
FLASHBACK: Donald Trump Tells Illegal Aliens: ‘You’ve Convinced Me’
— The New Americana (@SocialNews) February 8, 2016
If you believe Trump did a 180 on #amnesty in less than 2 years, he probably owns swamp land in Florida to sell you.
— Hasai (@hasai) February 8, 2016
Meanwhile, consistent Ted Cruz has been fighting for a wall on the border for several years. Here’s a couple of instance against hostile audiences when he was making the difficult pitch for building a wall in front of people who clearly were against the concept.
Now, let’s take a look at three more videos. The first one was made by a super PAC supporting Cruz. Before you believe that it’s obviously going to be biased, it’s important to note that they’re using actual footage of Donald Trump and others over the years clearly stating what he truly believes.
Here’s my personal take on the two scenarios surrounding Donald Trump. Did he have a revelation after 66-years of life to reverse nearly all of his views, or is it more likely that he saw an opportunity to follow the Obama administration and achieve his personal goal of being President of the United States even if it meant denouncing his own perspectives and reinventing himself as a pseudo-conservative?
For those who don’t care what he thought for 66-years and believe that he’s against amnesty today, you should really take a closer look at what his actual policy on illegal immigration is. He’s actually to the left of a few candidates on the issue, particular Cruz.
Trump’s supporters will never look into the border wall or amnesty matters because the truth goes against the narrative they’ve been sold. However, if you’re undecided and believing that Trump is the gold standard for stopping illegal immigration, you should definitely do the research. Trump’s greatest ally is ignorance..