Trump Approval Rating: ‘Amnesty Don’ Attacks After DACA Deal Could Destroy Trump’s Base
Donald Trump has relied on his base to keep his already record-low approval ratings afloat, but that group is now at risk of fleeing the president after his deal on the Dreamer program led to accusation that “Amnesty Don” is caving on a core campaign promise.
This week, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi met with Trump and emerged with a deal to rescue the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, NBC News reported. The program protects undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States by their parents when they were children. Trump had announced that he planned to end the program in six months, subjecting those involved in the program to potential deportation.
The deal reportedly included funding for more border security, but no funding for a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico, one of the top campaign promises from Donald Trump.
On Thursday, Trump took to Twitter to offer some uncharacteristic praise for the so-called “Dreamer” program, using rhetoric often used by Democrats in describing DACA.
“Does anybody really want to throw out good, educated and accomplished young people who have jobs, some serving in the military? Really!…They have been in our country for many years through no fault of their own — brought in by parents at young age. Plus BIG border security,” Trump wrote on Twitter.
Though Trump walked back some of those claims on Thursday, saying there would be no deal until there was “massive border security” included, the development rattled many normally allied with Trump. Many of his supporters were sharp in their criticism, with the Steve Bannon-helmed Breitbart leading the way. The outlet dubbed him “Amnesty Don” and attacked his decision to work with Democrats to offer a path to citizenship for Dreamers.
President Donald Trump Supports DACA Amnesty? | True Newshttps://t.co/WGKlWemzDz pic.twitter.com/a2ZPax1pS5
— Stefan Molyneux, MA (@StefanMolyneux) September 14, 2017
That could have a devastating effect on Donald Trump’s approval ratings. Newsweek noted that polling showed Trump starting to climb upward after setting records for his low approval throughout the summer, but the bulk of his approval came from his core base of supporters.
If the reaction to the DACA deal is any indication, that base could be thinning quickly. Newsweek noted that Trump has already seen erosion from his core supporters, dropping from 81 percent approval among Republicans in the week before the Charlottesville attack that left one protester dead to 72 percent the following week after Trump’s much-maligned response.
Many pundits noted that the DACA deal — which would go against the hard-line stance Trump has taken on illegal immigration — would be seen as a sharp betrayal to Trump’s base. While it remains to be seen what form a final deal would take, Donald Trump’s approval ratings could likely fall again due to the developments and the “Amnesty Don” attacks from former Trump allies.
[Featured Image by Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images]
