The Factor Rundown
Eric Bolling
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Trump's Big Speech on Immigration
Eric began Wednesday's program by welcoming Fox News correspondent Carl Cameron, who previewed Donald Trump's immigration speech in Phoenix. "This has been a day of tremendous attention," Cameron said, "and Trump's trip to Mexico City today has really brightened the spotlight on his speech. The campaign is particularly pleased that they accepted the invitation from the Mexican president - he got to stand on the stage with a world leader and came away unscathed. All this has brought a big crowd here to Phoenix and a tremendous amount of attention." Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, a Trump supporter, heaped praise on his candidate's decision to visit Mexico. "Donald Trump scored an extraordinary coup, it was a gutsy and bold thing to do. He didn't bow to the ruler of the country or apologize, like Barack Obama did. He was a gracious guest and the president of Mexico was a gracious host. Donald Trump will reaffirm that we will control the border, we won't have amnesty, and we will end sanctuary cities."
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A Change of Heart from Trump?
Is Donald Trump actually 'softening' his stance on illegal immigration? Eric posed that question to immigration attorney Michael Wildes and conservative Alfonso Aguilar. "There is already legislation that calls for the building of two walls," Aguilar pointed out, "and Hillary Clinton voted for that. In terms of the undocumented, Donald Trump has always said that he will allow people to go back to their home country and then the good people could come back quickly. He's now adjusting slightly, but it's a change in tone and not a major flip-flop." Wildes, a Clinton supporter, ridiculed Donald Trump's essential immigration proposals. "The wall is unrealistic, un-American, and unpopular. We can't put that kind of money and resources in that terrain. We're supposed to building bridges, not walls, and there aren't enough handcuffs and beds and airplanes to remove people. We're not going to break up families and have Americans turn in neighbors."
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Trump's Trip to Mexico
For two more views on Donald Trump's Wednesday visit with Mexico President Pena Nieto, Eric turned to Mercedes Schlapp and Michael Tobman. "I'm not a Trump supporter," Tobman declared, "but the politics of this were quite brilliant. He looked presidential and august standing there next to a world leader, even though I believe the wall is hateful. The poll numbers will show that this was very effective." Schlapp predicted that Trump may well garner some additional support among Hispanic voters. "This opens the door to the possibility of more outreach to the Hispanic community. He can focus more on how immigrants to America have contributed, there are so many of these immigration stories. His decision to go to Mexico showed a very decisive and presidential moment. Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton has spent the past few weeks holding swanky fundraisers."
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The Feasibility of a Wall
Fox News strategic analyst Lt. Col. Ralph Peters expressed some reservations about Donald Trump's proposal to build a 'big, beautiful wall' along the Mexican border. "A wall can be built," Peters said, "but it's another question as to whether it is wise to build a wall across our southern border. Walls work very well in populated areas, but do we really need to build a wall in the isolated areas of Texas? 1,254 miles of our border with Mexico are along the Rio Grande River in Texas. Should we build the wall on the Mexican side? No, that's an act of war. Should we build it on the Texas side and give the river to Mexico? Should we build it in the middle of the river? There are a lot of practical considerations." Rather than building a wall, Peters urged federal officials to enforce immigration laws that are already on the books and enact new ones.
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Is Trump Closing the Gap in Polls?
A new Fox News poll indicates that Donald Trump is catching up to Hillary Clinton, both nationally and in some battleground states. Eric scrutinized the poll with Fox News polling expert Chris Anderson and writer David Morris. "It's anyone's race," Morris asserted, "and anyone who thought the race was over was engaged in some wishful thinking. This was a good day for Donald Trump, but we'll see what happens next week and the week after that. This is still a wide open race and the debates will be crucial." Anderson reported that Libertarian Gary Johnson and Jill Stein of the Green Party are, at least temporarily, siphoning support from Hillary Clinton. "Hillary Clinton is being hurt more by the third party candidates than Donald Trump. There are some younger and Hispanic voters who seem to be tentatively going to third parties, but half of them say they might change their minds. Our new poll is good news for Trump, but there are some underlying dynamics that are still in Clinton's favor. More people think she has the temperament and knowledge to be president."
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Hillary Clinton and Immigration
While Donald Trump has been talking ad infinitum about immigration, Hillary Clinton's campaign team has consistently ridiculed his proposals. Eric spoke about the contentious issue with Clinton supporter David Goodfriend and former State Department official Ric Grenell. "Donald Trump is a master of stagecraft," Goodfriend conceded, "and today he was in effect telling the Mexican people that we are in this together. But this conciliatory language flies in the face of him calling Mexicans 'rapists' and 'murderers.' The hard part for him will be reconciling this softer approach while maintaining enthusiasm among his base." Grenell contended that Hillary Clinton's immigration policies are offensive to the majority of Americans. "Hillary Clinton mocks enforcing the law, she mocks border security, and she mocks the assault on sanctuary cities. Democrats have actually told law enforcement officials in certain cities to ignore the law!"
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Geraldo Rivera on Trump's Mexican Adventure
Finally, Eric spoke with Geraldo Rivera, who has harshly condemned Donald Trump's more strident immigration policies. "This was a much better day for Donald Trump," Rivera acknowledged, "than it was for President Pena Nieto. Trump walked all over him, but in a very respectful way. Trump was presidential and measured in his tone, but right now the Mexican media is chopping up President Pena Nieto. This was a brilliant day for Trump, it was a smart and ballsy trip to Mexico that came off well. But he has to maintain this same tone. If he wants people like my wife to even consider voting for him, he has to be measured, compassionate, inclusive, and pragmatic. He was great in Mexico City!"
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