Donald Trump's whirlwind day yesterday took him from Mexico City to Phoenix. In Mexico, he met with President Enrique Pena Nieto.
After that joint news conference, Pena Nieto announced he'd told Trump at the meeting's outset Mexico wouldn't pay for a wall.
Maybe Trump didn't consider that a discussion. Last night, Trump spoke at length in Phoenix about his plan to combat illegal immigration. Early on, he argued that those with a vested interest in illegal immigration willfully misrepresent the issue.
Trump's plan offered a series of proposals, including large increases in Border Patrol officers and ICE deportation officers. Additionally, he sees local law enforcement as willing partners in aiding deportations. Of course, what's missing there is how he'd get cooperation from cities, like Los Angeles and San Francisco, that don't want to cooperate with ICE.
There's no political incentive to do so. Trump says he'd cut off federal funds to sanctuary cities, but that would be a very tough lift in Congress.
How do you read Trump’s visit and speech last night?
Guests:
Sam Quinones, journalist and author of “Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic” (Bloomsbury Press, 2015)
Paris Dennard, Republican political analyst and former staffer for President George W. Bush and the Republican National Committee: he tweets from
Bill Burton, Democratic political strategist, Hillary supporter, former deputy White House press secretary for Barack Obama; he tweets from