Trump’s immigration rhetoric is more subtle than his opponents realise

To say Donald Trump ‘double-downed’ last night on his border rhetoric would be an understatement. He went full anti-illegal immigration throttle, and then some. ‘There will be no amnesty,’ he said, and he promised to deport criminal illegal aliens within one hour of his arrival in office. ‘We will build a great wall along the southern border,’ he said. ‘And Mexico will pay for the wall, 100 per cent. They don’t know it yet, but they’re going to pay for it.’ He also invited on to the stage a group of women whose children have been killed by illegal immigrants, the ‘Angel Moms’ — a typical, mawkish Trumpian touch. ‘If you don’t vote Trump, we won’t have a country,’ said one of the Moms.

The speech comes as a great relief to Trump’s biggest fans, who had been troubled by an apparent softening in their candidate’s immigration talk. There have been reports that, what with his sudden trip to Mexico and an apparent rapprochement between him and the Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto, Trump was moving towards some sort of moderate pro-amnesty position.