Trump’s Immigration Pitch Falls Flat with Republicans near the Border
Local Editor
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's effort to clarify his position on illegal immigration during visits to both sides of the US-Mexico frontier on Wednesday did little to sway moderate Republicans near the border, a dozen voters in Arizona told Reuters on Thursday.
They were either unaware of his whirlwind tour or found that his uncharacteristically diplomatic demeanor during a visit with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto in Mexico City was overshadowed by his return to his usual fiery rhetoric when back on US soil a few hours later.
Arizona, a reliably Republican state in past elections, could prove to be a close race in the battle between Trump and Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. The Reuters/Ipsos States of the Nation project, which is based on a national online opinion poll, found Trump leading Clinton by only 3 percentage points in the state as of Aug. 26.
Trump's last-minute visit on Wednesday to Mexico was designed to appeal to moderate voters, including those most affected by illegal immigration, who are worried that the real estate mogul and former reality TV star lacks the temperament to engage in international diplomacy.
Pena Nieto had on Wednesday afternoon hailed the impromptu meeting with Trump as "open and constructive." Trump later referred to the Mexican leader as his friend and a "wonderful" president.
But only hours after leaving Mexico, Trump delivered a speech in Phoenix, Arizona, in which he again emphasized his desire to build a wall along the southern border and deport millions of people who had entered the United States illegally.
Pena Nieto later rebuked Trump as a threat to his country.
Trump launched his campaign last year on a promise to build a wall along the Mexican border to stop illegal immigration, and accused Mexico of sending drug dealers into the United States.
Clinton's campaign announced on Wednesday night it would begin running TV commercials in Arizona, a sign it sees a chance of winning there on Nov. 8.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
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