More than a dozen California conservatives met with President Trump Wednesday to discuss the state's sanctuary laws.
A lot was said about the state of immigration at the televised meeting, but in a state where Republicans make up less than 25 percent of registered voters, could such a high-profile meeting do more political harm than good?
Political consultant Mike Madrid says it depends on who you're talking about: for lawmakers in predominantly red areas, the fear of voter backlash is relatively low. When it comes to the Republican brand, however, Madrid says trouble could be ahead.
No question. The whole Trump presidency already has had a very damaging effect, certainly in California, to the Republican brand.
Republican registration has now dropped to under 24 percent. It's slipping every month. We just got some reports back from the Secretary of State's office showing that only three percent of all the new registrants since Donald Trump is Latino Republicans. Yes, it's a partisan death-spiral, and the challenge is, as the party becomes smaller and more monolithic and more homogenous, it becomes more intense in these very marginal policy issues.
Certainly, the tone that the President was presenting and the words that he used further alienate this fast-growing segment of the electorate, and no question this is going to be very problematic for the party in the short, medium, and long-term.
(Answer has been edited for clarity and brevity.)