Former President Donald Trump continues to dominate the GOP presidential primary field, in part due to support for his immigration platform.
This week, he secured an endorsement by one of the most prominent border-state Republicans after paying a visit to the U.S.-Mexico border. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott appeared alongside Trump near the border town of Edinburg and signaled his support for the former president.
“We need a president who’s going to secure the border,” the governor said. “We need Donald J. Trump back as our president of the United States of America.”
Trump touted his first-term record and highlighted the steps he intends to take to further curtail illegal immigration if he is elected to serve another term. Under another Trump administration, he said that Abbott’s job would become “much easier,” telling the governor: “You’ll be able to focus on other things in Texas.”
During his visit, Trump praised the “incredible” work of National Guard troops, law enforcement officers and others who have been doing their best to protect the border despite the lax immigration policies of President Joe Biden.
The former president served meals and posed for photos with the officers and service members and Abbott cited their presence at the border as evidence of Biden’s failure.
President Trump joins the Governor of Texas, Gov Greg Abbott to serve Thanksgiving meals to border patrol and soldiers in Edinburg, Texas. pic.twitter.com/tgS0hu0vKo
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) November 20, 2023
“They should not be here at this time,” the governor said. “They should be at home.”
He went on to declare that “the only reason why they are here is because we have a president of the United States of America who is not securing our border.”
A record number of illegal border crossings has been recorded throughout Biden’s term thus far, giving an early edge to Trump ahead of a likely rematch of the 2020 general election.
Multiple recent polls show the race between Trump and Biden tightening, with the former president increasingly coming out on top against the incumbent.
Despite continued price increases and other economic uncertainty heading into next year’s election, a new Yahoo/YouGov survey found that immigration has overtaken inflation as the worst issue for Biden among voters.
Nearly three-fifths of respondents said they disapproved of Biden’s immigration policies, compared to less than one-third who expressed approval. Among those who had strong feelings one way or the other, the disparity was even more glaring — 43% strongly disapproved and only 8% strongly approved.
