Tom Shuford: The Trump narrative
The Aug. 23 letter “Trump believes in success” made a great point, but there is another factor driving Donald Trump’s dominance in polls.
Mid-June: He announces. In early polls, he’s nowhere. First move? Put a national spotlight on lawless immigration from Mexico and on victims of illegal immigrant crime. Trump becomes Public Enemy No. 1 of Republican, Democrat, media and business elites. Businesses – even NASCAR – sever ties. Trump’s poll numbers surge.
Aug. 6 “debate”: Fox News moderators attempt demolition of Trump. From beginning – “Can I have a show of hands?” – to end, it’s great TV. Hopes soar among elites that Trump’s post-debate complaint about Fox’s Megyn Kelly – “blood ... from wherever” – assures political oblivion.
Aug. 16: Trump releases stunning position paper on immigration, “Immigration Reform That Will Make America Great Again.” Vital but long-suppressed topics come to the fore: “anchor babies”; return of “11 million” (mysterious number that never changes) illegal immigrants; a border wall; immigration’s effects on American jobs and wages, on schools, the middle class and crime; an immigration “pause.”
Late August: Angst besets elites. They have lost control of the immigration narrative.
Tom Shuford
Lenoir
This story was originally published August 28, 2015 at 3:37 PM with the headline "Tom Shuford: The Trump narrative."