President Trump May Have Picked the Wrong Immigration Fight This Time

As public pressure increases to abandon his child separation policy, President Trump has turned up the volume on his anti-Immigrant message tweeting Tuesday that immigrants would “pour into and infest” the United States if he were to back down. But Trump's bluster may not be enough this time as more Republicans, the Pope, world leaders and the AMA join Democrats in demanding a change in policy. Yesterday's news about the administration's “tender age” shelters for migrant babies and toddlers further increased pressure on the administration. The President has even lost one of his most vocal Religious Right Supporters. Franklin Graham, Billy Graham's son, called the splitting up of children from their parents “disgraceful” and “terrible” in an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network. And the policy is very unpopular with 4 polls this week showing two-thirds of Americans opposing child separation.

So why does the President refuse to back down? A senior administration official told Axios yesterday that "he's moved personally, but also doesn't want to look weak. He feels boxed in, is frustrated and knows it's bad politics — but also understands it's not a fight he can back down from."

Domenico Montanaro of NPR has an excellent piece this morning on Trump's strategy to escape blame on the issue. But this might just be the one immigration policy that the President lives to regret.

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